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HOW TO ADVERTISE 



BOOKS BY GEORGE FRENCH 

Printing in Relation to Graphic Art 

About Book Making 

The Art and Science of Advertising 

New England: What It Is and What 
It Is to Be 

Advertising: The Social and Eco- 
nomic Problem 

How TO Advertise 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 

A GUIDE TO DESIGNING, LAYING 

OUT, AND COMPOSING 

ADVERTISEMENTS 



BY 

GEORGE FRENCH 




NEW TOBK 
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 

FOB 

THE ASSOCIATED ADVERTISING CLUBS 
OF THE WORLD 

1917 



«^^ 



^^^ ^^"^ 



Copyright, 1917, by 
The Associated Advertising Clubs of the World 

All rights reserved, including that of 

translation into foreign languages, 

including the Scandinavian 



4y 



FEB 23 1917 



)CI,A455650 



DEDICATED TO 
ADVERTISING CLUB 
OF NEW YORK CITY 



PREFATORY 

THE object of this book is to suggest how ad- 
vertising may be made more effective by 
making it more attractive — ^giving it more 
"Attention Value." 

It needs no argument to show that if advertising 
is not noticed while readers are ciu'sorily going over 
the pages of newspapers and periodicals it will not 
be read, and if not read it will not produce results. 
Neither does it require argument to demonstrate 
that the elements of the advertisement which make 
it attractive to the eye are its pictorial features, its 
graphic qualities. 

The primary appeal of the advertisement is wholly 
to the eye — as a picture. If this appeal is not made, 
or is badly made, it follows as night follows day that 
the advertisement will not be read by as many people 
as would have been the case if it had been attractive 
to the eye. 

What makes an advertisement attractive to the 
general eye — to the eye of the average person.^ The 
answer to this query, and the embodiment of the 
answer in advertising practice, may fairly be ex- 



vui PREFATORY 

pected to remove a substantial portion of the present 
ineflSciency of advertising. It is with this problem 
that this book is concerned. 

There is as yet no well-grounded, definite, and 
definitive rules to guide the designer of advertising 
in his attempt to make attractive advertisements. 
Such principles as are available have to be borrowed 
from graphic art, studied in the light of the special 
character and requirements of adventising, and ap- 
plied in the most liberal and catholic spirit, accol*d- 
ing to conditions surrounding each specific case. 

The motive guiding whatever is said or shown on 
these pages is strictly utilitarian. There is no at- 
tempt to justify the employment of art in advertising 
further than it seems reasonable to expect that such 
employment may operate to make the advertising 
more attractive to those under whose eyes it is to 
come, and whose attention it is necessary agreeably 
to attract. The idea behind all that is suggested is 
that therein may be found advertising profit. 

In some particulars advertising has become a 
strictly sophisticated profession. In its commercial 
aspects, and in its handling by skilled managers and 
agents, there has grown up a large body of efficient 
practice. In the analysis of product and field, and 
in the preparation of copy, there have been very 
great strides of progress within the past score of 
years. It is only in this field of initial attraction that 



II 



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Zmti^ordski 



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Join svasY\ka Mound builders Or\en\a\i^ed iorw Bnck iron 



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Showing a few of the many forms of the Svastica, that interesting art symbol 
which is thought by some to have been the first attempt to express thought by other 
Vieans than speech or gesture; found in the remains or historyjof every people that 
have ever lived on the earth, and as an important fundamental in all art of all ages. 



X PREFATORY 

there seems to have as yet arisen no definite body of 
guiding principles that have either been tested or 
otherwise vouched for, which receive general credence 
or are very influential in general practice. 

That there are such principles, adapted from 
graphic art, optics, and psychology, and that they are 
simpje and easily mastered, and effective in practice, 
is what I try to show in this book. 

It must all the time be kept in mind that it is 
the physical advertisement we are considering, and 
nothing else. Those major units of the advertise- 
ment made up of the general campaign, the study of 
the goods, the preparation of the copy, etc., are not 
considered. The illustrations are to be taken as 
used to illustrate some point or points that are 
thought to be consequential in the optical attention 
value of the advertisement. Those advertisements 
that are shown as models are to be regarded so only 
as to their looks. If what is said about some of the 
examples shown seems like undeserved criticism, it is 
pleaded that nothing more is meant than that, in the 
opinion of the author, good advertisements some- 
times may be better. 

Cordial thanks are due designers and advertisers 
for consent to use examples of their work, sometimes 
for the purpose of pointing out alleged defects, as well 
as sometimes to emphasize excellencies; and in par- 
ticular to the Mergenthaler Linotype Company, 



PREFATORY xi 

whose typographic expert, Mr. H. Frank Smith, ar- 
ranged the pages of type specimens and the display 
of the typical specimen advertisement in Chapter 16; 
and Mr. Frank H. Clark, of the Eclipse Electrotype 
and Engraving Company, Cleveland, for the speci- 
men plates showing the different kinds of engravings 
advertisers may use. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Prefatory vii 

CHAPTER 

I. What the Advertisement Must Do . 3 

II. The Personal Equation 16 

III. The Human Interest Appeal ... 33 

IV. Advertising Display 47 

V. The Appeal of the Display. ... 65 

VI. " What Has Art Got to Do With Adver- 
tising.?" 86 

VII. What Is Art? . 96 

VIII. The All-type Advertisement . . . 107 

IX. Type 122 

X. The Illustrated Advertisement . . 143 

XI. Illustrations 157 

XII. The Decorative Advertisement . . 169 

XIII. Decorations 186 

XIV. Optics and the Advertisement . . . 205 
XV. The Form of the Advertisement . . 217 

XVI. Getting the Copy Ready .... 233 

XVII, Assembling the Units 252 

XVIII. In Conclusion 266 

xiii 



m\ 



LIST OF HALFTONE ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING PAGE 

Yuban Coffee 4 

The De Laval Separator 12 

The O'Sullivan Heel 64 

Ivory Soap 80 

Edison Storage Battery 88 

Cluett, Peabody & Co. Inc. ....... 90 

Franco- American Food Company 92 

" " " <* Qc> 

The Curtis PubUshing Company 120 

W. & J. Sloane 127 

Oppenheim, Collins & Co 146 

Square finished halftone, raw edge 149 

Zinc etching 151 

Line etching with screen background 156 

OutUned halftone 158 

High-hght half tone from crayon drawing . . . . 160 

Halftone with Ben Day background 162 

Metzograph 164 

Halftone with special tooling and screen border 166 

Halftone with high-light treatment of. background . 168 

Wood engraving 168 

Colgate & Company 184 

Layout for an advertisement 249 

Ivory Soap 262 

" " 263 

Oneida Conunimity, Limited 278 

LIST OF LINE ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Forms of Svastikas ix 

The Hecker Cereal Company 10 

XV 



LINE ILLUSTRATIONS 



The H. K. McCann Company 18 

Henri, Hurst & McDonald 19 

Artemas Ward 21 

Cheltenham Advertising Agency 22 

Woodwards Incorporated 24 

Lord & Thomas .......... 25 

Williams and Carroll Corporation ..... 27 

James Zobian Company 29 

Hanflf-Metzger 30 

New York Central 34 

American Telephone and Telegraph Company . . 36 

The Curtis Publishing Company 38 

New York Telephone Co 39 

Atlantic Terra Cotta Company 41 

The White Company 43 

N. W. Ayer & Son . 45 

Durham Realty Corporation 49 

Union Pacific System 52 

53 

The Curtis Publishing Company 55 

Rogers, Peet Company 57 

The Farm Journal 60 

The Knickerbocker Press 61 

Houghton Mifflin Company ....... 68 

... 69 

Shredded Wheat 72 

73 

Packard Motor Car Company 76 

Lozier Motor Company 77 

Best & Company 79 

Bigelow Kennard & Co 81 

Pierce- Arrow Motor Car Company ..... 83 

Kunstlerbund Daheim 98 

Charles E. Graves & Company 101 

The Locomobile Company 104 

105 

Eastman Kodak Co Ill 

Graphic Arts Association 115 



LINE ILLUSTRATIONS xvn 



IPAOU 

The Paper House of New England 119 

Page from the Atlantic Monthly 124 

Page from the Century Magazine 125 

Display Types of a Generation Ago 129 

Earl & Wilson 132 

linotype Bodoni 138 

Cheltenham 139 

Title No. 5 and Elzevir No. 2 . . . . 140 
" Cheltenham, Century Expanded and 

Benedictine 141 

Caslon and Old Style No. 7 .... 142 

eneral Vehicle Company 145 

nique advertisement 151 

eolian Company 155 

Eaton, Crane & Pike Company 171 

Belgian ReUef Advertisement 173 

Packer's Tar Soap 175 

The White Company 177 

The Locomobile Company 180 

Lord & Taylor Book Shop 183 

Ornaments 188 

189 

Japanese Decorative Drawings 192 

193 

" " 194 

195 

The Strathmore Paper Company 199 

Cover Design 203 

Optical Diagram 210 

Ginger Ale 213 

George W. Wheelwright Paper Company . . . 218 

Decorative Oval 219 

The H. K. McCann Company 222 

Cheltenham Advertising Agency 223 

Optical Square . 226 

Mathematical Square ' . . 227 

The Golden Section 228 

The True Oval 229 



XVIU 



LINE ILLUSTRATIONS 



The First Copy for the Advertisement 
Copy Revised and Arranged . 
The First Setting of the Advertisement 
The Second Setting of the Advertisement 
The Third Setting of the Advertisement 
The Completed Advertisement 
Union Pacific System . 
The White Company 

The Chalmers Motor Company 

The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company 



PAGS 

241 
245 
246 
247 
248 
250 
255 
259 
260 
271 
275 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



I 



CHAPTER I 

WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT MUST DO 

4 DVERTISING is for the purpose of selling 
/-% goods, selling service, or persuading people to 
take specified action. 

It is justified, as an economic proposition, to the 
extent it is successful in selling goods or service, or 
influencing those who read it to act as desired. 

Several elements of the advertisement contribute 
directly to its success or failure. In this book it is 
proposed to treat only one of those major elements — 
its physical make-up. 

The psychological path along which an advertise- 
ment travels toward the accomplishment of its mis- 
sion may be indicated by noting that its first step 
is its physical appeal to the eye of the reader. Then 
its chief attractive feature, as the "catch line," the 
illustration, some decorative feature, or some pro- 
nounced feature that is most prominent because of its 
form, its size, or the sentiment it expresses, gets into 
the mind through the eye and arouses interest or curi- 
osity . This leads to a reading of the text — or, it should 
be said, to the beginning of the reading of the text. 

s 



4 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

Each of these elements is dependent upon that one 
which comes before it in the natural order of observa- 
tion. Thus the eye is caught by the general physical 
character of the advertisement only if the periodical 
in which it is printed is of such interest to the reader 
that he turns its pages. In turning the pages of a 
periodical the eye is attracted to certain advertise- 
ments by their excellencies of form; and this is the 
second step toward the buying impulse that the 
reader takes. Or it may be more explicit to say that 
it is, so far as the advertisement itself is concerned, 
the first step. The preceding step is prompted by 
the medium in which the advertisement appears. 
This first step is almost an unconscious attrac- 
tion. The first consciousness of the advertisement 
is experienced by the reader when he notes the catch 
line, and is invited to seek some definite advantage 
by reading the text. Then if the text is well written, 
and the thing advertised is of interest to the reader, 
the argument gets into his mind. The final fate of 
the appeal made in the advertisement rests with this 
text argument. But the state of mind with which 
the reader takes in the argument is largely dependent 
upon the preceding steps it has taken — the initial 
attraction of the advertisement as a whole, and the 
secondary, though more powerful, attraction of the bit 
of lure exercised by the catch line or the illustration. 

It is seen that the first thing about the advertise- 



m 




Great attractive value, leading directly to the article to be sold. 



WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT MUST DO 5 

ment to attract the attention of those who read the 
medium in which it is printed is its picture quaHty. 

Occasionally there comes to the front a short- 
sighted, pessimistic person with a tale that some large 
proportion of the money spent in ^advertising is 
wasted. It is a text that is rolled unctuously under 
the tongue of the pessimist, and the person who 
professes not to believe in advertising. The embar- 
rassing consideration in such cases is that the con- 
tention is true — or partially true. It is an acknowl- 
edged fact that there is much money wasted in 
advertising. There is no disposition to ^beg this 
question. It may be pleaded in extenuation that 
there is much money wasted in all phases of selling. 
The traveling salesman goes to many towns in which 
he sells no goods, wasting the money it cost him to 
make the visits. But even this fact is not cited in 
justification. 

Advertisers and advertising men keenly realize that 
there is too much money spent for advertising that 
does not get results. They are concerned that it is 
so, and they are more concerned to discover the 
causes of the waste and apply a remedy. 

It is evident that if the eyes of readers are not 
attracted to an advertisement agreeably enough to 
cause them to pause while they take in the picture 
presented, the appeal of the catch line and the 
argument of the text will not be realized, and the 



6 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

advertisement is in danger of being passed by with- 
out notice. 

It is plain that the initial power of the advertise- 
ment to win that notice which will guarantee their 
chance to the elements intended to arouse the pur- 
chasing desire lies in the general appearance of the 
advertisement. If it is to attract attention it must 
appeal to the eye as a picture appeals. 

This fact has been realized by advertisers, and 
some very clever attempts to utilize it have been 
made. Most of them have been abandoned, because 
it was not thoroughly understood that as a picture the 
advertisement does not sell the goods it advertises. 

Since the day of reliance upon the picture adver- 
tisement has passed, it may be proper to remark that 
the theory of the power of the picture was not fol- 
lowed to its obvious conclusion. When Ivory soap 
used to depend upon a fine picture and the slogan 
''It Floats,'' when the Packard automobile relied 
upon a good engraving of the car and "Ask the Man 
Who Owns One," and when the picture was all 
there was to advertisements like those now used for 
Cream of Wheat, there was nothing to catch the 
first pleasurable impression of the reader and carry 
it onward to fix the buying impulse in the mind. 
The advertisements started the mind in the right 
direction, but did not take advantage of the start and 
lead on to the selling argument. It was too much 



WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT MUST DO 7 

to ask the reader to follow the agreeable start toward 
the merchandise with steps that involved definite 
and not at all obvious labor. How was a man to 
"Ask the man who owns one" if he did not happen to 
know a man who owned one? And even if he did 
know such a man, why should he take the trouble 
to hunt him up and ask him? It was not long before 
this advertiser discovered that his own advertise- 
ments must supply all that the man who owned one 
could say, and more also. The time came when the 
soap people found that it did not pay simply to call 
attention to the fact that their soap floated, after 
having won attention by a pretty picture. 

This class of advertising has been found unprofit- 
able because the advertisement did not itself follow 
up the advantage the pictures won, and offer the 
argument as soon as the attractive element opened 
the mind for its reception. It was found that in 
advertising it is not safe to leave anything to the 
reader. It is necessary to give him facilities for 
making up his mind at the time his attention is 
secured. Not only has it been found expedient to 
make the whole argument for the goods but to pro- 
vide, in the form of the coupon, means for the instant 
recording of the order. While there are men who 
would read a Packard advertisement and go about 
hunting for the man who owns one to get needful 
information, there are not enough of them. And 



8 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

it was a frail reed that they were asked to lean upon. 
The men who own cars are not salesmen, and but one 
in a hundred, or more would be able to answer the 
questions of the seeker after knowledge. 

Such excursions into the improbable as these have 
made advertising ineffective. They did not even 
lead the horse to the water. They intimated that 
somewhere there was water, but they did not locate 
it, nor did they guarantee its sufficiency or quality. 
They were excellent examples of attraction and sug- 
gestion, but they did not assert anything, or make 
an argument, without which it is almost as useless 
to present an attractive advertisement as it is to 
make a good argument in an unattractive advertise- 
ment. 

The physical advertisement, properly made, takes 
its place in the life of people with other forms of art; 
and all forms of art depend for their force and in- 
fluence upon their faithful relation to nature and life. 
They have been gradually evolved from nature, and 
have been as gradually related to the necessities of 
human life. When an artist insists upon cutting his 
canvas exactly in accord with his theory as to dimen- 
sions, he does so because those dimensions have come 
to be regarded as right. They have become agreeable 
to the trained eye through generations of trial. The 
painter knows too much to go counter to the educa- 
tion of the centuries. It is only the careless and un- 



WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT MUST DO 9 

informed advertiser who ventures to do so. Our 
eyes have been trained to accept certain forms, hues, 
combinations. Not only have they been thus 
trained, they have been developed physically to 
accommodate themselves to the forms and colors, 
and the use of the forms and colors, that have become 
standardized in art. 

Thus it is not to trained artistic taste that we 
cater when we make advertising as painters make 
pictures, so far as fundamentals are concerned, but 
to the natural powers and limitations of the physical 
eye, as well as to the natural habits and qualities of 
the mind, which also have been acquired through ages 
of acquisition and adaptation. We attempt to fit 
the advertisement to the reader, as his tailor fits a 
suit, or his hatter a hat. 

And in doing this we do not lose sight of the fact 
that not all classes of people have the same grade of 
ability to appreciate art; and this leads us into a 
most interesting field of inquiry. It is a capital 
fault of much advertising that it is made to make its 
major appeal to its creators. The advertising builder 
is too apt to make something that appeals to himself, 
instead of making a study of the particular people 
he wishes to win. It is a fault of the careful adver- 
tiser, who believes that he is considering the people 
he desires for customers, that he does not realize 
the processes of civilization, and thus avoid at once 




Tke quick Biscuit flour for 
delicious biscuits* ^u only 
kave to add milk or water 

10<J and 15 <^ Packaiges 



An excellent example of the skilled application of the three essentials for an adver- 
tisement—attraction, suggestion, assertion— and each in its proper place and relation. 
There are the toothsome biscuits, a most attractive feature; the makings of those bis- 
cuits, and the reason for the making of the biscuits. The plate of biscuits is shown 
to be a most desirable item in the menu for breakfast or tea. The package suggests 
how easily they may be had. The few words of text specifies how little there is for the 
cook to do, and how small is the expense. The assembling of these units is so nearly 
right as to produce a very pleasing picture. 



too much and too little strictness in his devotion to 
psychologic principles. 

It is well for the advertiser to remember that in its 
evolution from whatever may have been its original 
state mankind does not all advance together. As 
there was a so-called Stone Age, in the dim recesses 
of history, so also there are now great numbers of 
people who have scarcely left that shadowy condi- 
tion; and they do not dwell in the fastnesses of 
primitive Africa, but right here among us. Their 
conception of art has not advanced from that of the 
people who originated the first art symbol. Every 
epoch in the history of the race is present with us 
to-day. 

This is as true with respect to morals as in art. 
We speak of truth in advertising, and we are talking 
to a proportion of people who know nothing about 
ethics except as the truth may affect their material 
welfare. 

There are plenty of people among us now whose 
idea of God is the idea of the ancient Hebrew family 
that had a god for its own use, who was expected to 
watch over the family fortunes and confound all of 
its rivals or enemies. 

In every manifestation of life we are with people 
of all the stages of civilization. We are told that 
certain mountaineers in the South, who have no 
education, and whose fathers and grandfathers had 



i 



12 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

none, preserve with great fidelity the English speech 
of the time of Samuel Johnson. 

Therefore, if we were to plan to advertise to those 
mountaineers who have brought with them into this 
twentieth century the idiomatic language of the 
seventeenth, or early eighteenth, century we could 
not expect to win them if we employed the language 
and methods that are comparatively new even to 
ourselves. We would have to pitch our advertising 
key in harmony with their lives. And advertising 
as we do to the great conglomerate, ranging from the 
Stone Age to the present, we have got to consider the 
average of whatever class we desire to reach. This 
fact makes it necessary for us to employ none but the 
simpler of the fundamentals of art which go to the 
making of advertisements that will have power to 
attract the normal average, neither artistic nor 
otherwise. 

We need to study to use a minimum of art in our 
advertisements, and to use that minimum in a man- 
ner that will not arouse even a suspicion of its 
presence, as art. '' What," said a great printer to the 
writer, some fifteen years ago, "has art got to do with 
printing?" It was a very hard question to answer 
then. It is easier, though not easy, to answer now. 
And whatever art has to do with printing it has 
exactly the same to do with advertising — with the 
physical advertisement as it appears in newspapers, 




Men Who Put Efficiency Above Every Other 
Consideration Invariably Select the 



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Men prominent in industrial and public life who have every means 
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Clarence H. Mackay 



Chas. L. Tiffany 
W. H. Wanamaker 
George Eastman 
James Stillman 
Charles M. Schwat 
H. Clay Pierce 



J. B. Haggin 
S. R. Guggenheim 
John Hays Hammond 
B. F. Yoakum 
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Complete 7 2 -page catalog, and any other infor- 
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THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO. 

165 Broadway, New York 29 E. MadUon St, Chicago 



Sure to attract favorable attention, because of the decorative, suggestive, and 
artistic picture. Much better in form than in copy. 



WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT MUST DO 13 

periodicals, street cars, subways, on billboards, as 
printed matter, and in all other fashions. As art, 
art has nothing whatever to do with printing, or with 
advertising. Printing and advertising are art, as 
truly and as legitimately as the painting, the statue, 
the engraving; as music, landscape gardening, or 
architecture are art. All arts have the same under- 
lying principles, and those principles underlie print- 
ing and advertising likewise. Advertising shares 
with other art the avenues of approach to the human 
mind. 

The radical difference between those arts that are 
known as fine art and advertising is very great, very 
fundamental, especially in practice. In advertising 
it is our effort to use as little of art as possible — only 
as much as is necessary to get favorable attention 
to the practical business message we have to give 
to readers. In painting, for example, the artist 
must make use of all the principles of art that in any 
way apply to his work, in their absolute integrity. 
He hopes to attract only the cultured few, and for no 
ulterior purposes. He wants to give them the 
enjoyment flowing from expressed art in its highest 
development. It is a matter of indifference to him 
whether ten or ten thousand people look upon his 
work. It is all the same to him. He has expressed 
himself, and he is his only competent critic. In 
advertising it is art for the sake of the dollar. Art 



14 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

is the lure of the advertisement. But it is a most 
potent lure. 

That advertisement in which violence is done to 
the primal principles of art is in some degree a failure. 
It repels instead of attracting. ( 

Students of advertising have come to think that 
there are four primary qualities in advertising, the 
cultivation of which would result in the elimination 
of much of the ineJBSciency that is now charged against 
it. These are: art, optics, ethics, and psychology. 
The contention is that a thorough understanding of 
these four branches of science, and the careful appli- 
cation of the results of that study in the practice of 
advertising, would result in advertising with a much 
greater percentage of eflSciency. 

In this study of the physical advertisement we have 
to do chiefly with art and optics. It is, however, 
impossible to ignore ethics and psychology, as the 
physical form of the advertisement contributes 
strongly to its truthfulness or to its falsity, as also 
the new science of psychology teaches much of the 
greatest value to the man who designs the advertise- 
ment. These four are vitally operative in all the 
stages and elements of the advertisement — in the 
copy as well as in the form. In fact, the advertise- 
ment in its every part must be a well-knit piece of 
cooperative and synchronized eflFort. The copy 
should affect the form, and the form the copy. 



WHAT THE ADVERTISEMENT MUST DO 15 

Type gives force to copy or takes force away from 
it. 

Let us not deceive ourselves. We use art in making 
advertisements because by its use we can make 
advertisements that bring better results. Upon that 
hypothesis everything in this book is based. Not art 
for art's sake, but art for the sake of greater eflSciency 
in advertising as a trade promoter. 



CHAPTER n 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 



THE value of advertising depends very largely 
upon the person who does it. While there 
are principles which are very important in the 
construction of advertisements, there are few that 
are equally authoritative in the practice of all adver- 
tisers. Many very successful advertisers are unable 
to give the bases of their success — to formulate their 
creed of work. 

Those men who have made the greatest records of 
success in advertising are those who have given the 
least consideration to such principles as it has thus 
far been possible to formulate from records and study 
and experimentation. One man has won great suc- 
cess through doing that which for another man has 
brought only flat failure Those in the profession 
who have been able to define their work and faith 
through expressed rules and canons have been among 
those who have been if not distinctly unsuccessful 
at least not markedly successful. 

This is not to be accepted as a settled principle in 
advertising practice. It is one of the results of the 

16 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 17 

condition of the business as an ordered profession. 
The successful man, who has relied upon his instinct 
and ignored the rules and suggestions of those who 
seek for advertising a scientific basis has been con- 
tent with the degree of success accorded him through 
his native ability, and has been inclined to believe 
that advertising men are indeed born, not made, 
and that he was born with advertising lore implanted 
in him. 

There is a great degree of truth in the assumption 
that advertising men are born, if we are to form an 
ultimate opinion through consideration of things as 
they are. The objection to this conclusion is that 
there has as yet been no adequate test of whether or 
not advertising men can be made; or whether or not 
the men who manifestly are born to the business 
might not be very much better advertising men if 
they were to accept for their use the good the profes- 
sors of advertising are offering to them. Your born 
advertising man is apt to be scornful of the proffers 
of pedagogy, and reject them without testing them. 
There will assuredly come a day when the man who is 
persuaded that he is a born advertising man will be 
willing to put his birthright to the test of pedagogy, 
and sit at the feet of the men who have delved among 
the leadings of advertising to relate it to other arts, 
crafts, professions, and sciences. 

But now, in this first half of the twentieth century. 



18 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



it is not to be denied that a large proportion of the 
successful advertising is done by men and women who 
either scorn science in connection with their work 







"^OTOP the squeak and 
O save the team. '* 
Farmers everywhere 
fight friction with Mica 
Axle Grease. The H. 
K. McCann Company 
has had considerable to 
do with the advertising 
of this product in the 
farm papers and small 
country newspapers 
throughout the United 
States and Canada. 

Our booklet ' Advertising 

Service" will be sent on 

request. 

THE H. K. McCANN COMPANY 

New York Cleveland San Francisco Toronto 

In New York at 61 Broadway 




or are quite oblivious of its existence as something 
they might profitably use in their business. In 
other words, personality is yet the most vital motive 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 



19 



force in advertising — ^personality applied in some defi- 
nite and usually narrow channel. A survey of the 
relatively few advertising accounts which have been 



I -'ANYTHING- to Kelp any 
X'% customer" — dfat Iroadljr apeakinj 

ia tKe scope ol cor service. 
L«»t week we uaitted a aew euttomer in extricating 
biftifclf from one of tlie ino«t pemicioiu jobber 
entanglements imaginable. 



Our Service: 

M>kinc Trade and dtr. 
'Cnlation Inreifigations 
— preparing Publiea. 
lioB Adufertj^ing— Or. 
canizing Catalog*. Cir* 
cuWrs and Letten— 
Planning and Execn. 
ting Dealer Campaigns 
— Marchand Ui ng tb« . 
•drertising to jobber*, 
dcalen and ypor own 
organization — Co^ 
dncting "revtral meet- 
ings'' of adrertisers' 
aalesmen — Securing 
estimates oo printing 
Jobe— Handling print- 
ing jobs — Laying out 
srstems for handling 



labels, letterheads — 
Handling the osual de- 
tails of placing publi- 



We enabled another cus- 

tomcf to get control of a profit- 
able business which could be 
bought "at a price." 

A third customer, after 

securiitg ' estimates on a big 
printing job sabmitted the fig- 
ures to us. We secured com- 
petitive (fids from local printers. 
Result: This client saved 
"mENTY-SIX per cent on hi* 
caSlogs. 

A fourth client with a 

new product, found his goods 
being returned by dealers, as 
"unsarisfactocy." We sent out 
a trade investigator and in dS 
hours discovered the trouble. 
The goods were flawless. The 
difficulty was that neither 4 rt\\n 
nor connuner tmderstood the 
prmttJ Jhections for imtalLitum. 

In these ways we are con- 

standy serving our clientele— 
helping them in eveiy way to 
market their goods. Write for 
either of these books: 



Henri, Hurst & McDonald 

Merfhandistng and Advertising 
122 Sow Midugan Ave., Chicago . 



in existence more than ten years, and are operated as 
stable departments of the businesses they promote, 
shows at the head of each some man who has been 
there a long time and who has become a part of the 
business. His personality has been grafted on to the 



20 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

business, and merged in it. He is always more sales- 
man than advertiser, and the real work of advertis- 
ing, as usually understood, is performed by some 
bright assistant, or assistants. The man who stands 
for the advertising manager is a selling pioneer. 
He discovers new fields for selling enterprise, and 
devises new methods for selling. Advertising is not 
always an element in his work. Publicity is. 

Another class of successful advertising men are 
able to make successes of different lines of business 
through the application of their personality to the 
particular problem in hand. Those alluded to above 
are not usually able to shift their fields. If they 
attempt to do so they find conditions so different 
that they will not yield to the methods they have 
employed in their successful work, and they often 
develop failures instead of successes. Those men 
who are able to flit from success to success are mer- 
curial in their natures. They achieve up to the mark 
of their peculiar talent, and then they are obliged to 
move on to fields and pastures green, or endure the 
pain of seeing their successes degenerate into fail- 
ures under their hands. They empty themselves, 
and, having no power to replenish their reservoirs of 
power, they must perforce seek other spheres where 
there may be found opportunity for the re-use of their 
talents. 

There are extreme instances of personality in 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 21 

advertising practice. It is found in all branches, 
but more strikingly developed in agencies. Each 
large and successful agency is organized in accord 



m ^jji^mm^^^m^^^^^^i^^ 



M ELEVE N VEARS OF J^t 
^! N E W YORK SU BWAY .iS^ 
M TRAFEIC GROWirH ;^^ 




We have exclusive contrd of the Card and 

Poster Space on the Interborough Subway 

and Elevated systems of New York. 

ARTEMAS WARD 

Trading as WARD &> GOW 

50 Union Square New 'York 



with the personalities of the men controlUng it. 
If, by chance, there is a change in these personalities, 
there is a change in the character of the work emanat- 
ing from the agency. Thus it is said in the profes- 
sion that agencies get into ruts. That is true, but 



22 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



no more true of agencies than of individuals. Ad- 
vertising is, for the most part, done in the rut of 
personality. "I do not like it,'' is liable to be the 



I 



1 1 EAST 36TM STREET 
NEW YORK 



MEN 



CHELTENHAM 

Advertising Agency 



remark of the head of a service department of an 
agency, and his dislike is taken in condemnation of 
drawings, designs, plans, copy, etc. He is rarely 
able to give a reason for his dislike, and he almost 
never seeks to do so. If driven into a verbal corner. 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 23 

he is sure to say that he has been turning out success- 
ful advertising for so and so many years on his Unes, 
and that he guesses that his judgment is pretty well 
founded upon his record. 

It is an established custom among a certain class of 
large advertisers to employ an advertising manager 
for one or two years, and then change. They do this 
because they believe that a man works himself out 
in one or two years, and if he is kept on the advertis- 
ing he produces will become stale, lacking in "punch" 
and novelty. There is a measure of truth in this 
assumption, brutal as it seems in application. 
Among advertising men, as in every class, there is 
but a small proportion who may safely chiefly rely 
upon the inner light. The few who can are in those 
positions referred to as representing the stable ele- 
ment in advertising practice. 

But personality is indeed a very vital element in 
advertising, even if it may be supported and supple- 
mented by all that science can teach. In a very real 
sense the advertising man is born, even as the supe- 
rior man in all lines and departments of selling may be 
said to be born. The real advertiser is a man who 
is able to see things, and see the tendencies and con- 
nections of things — the man with initiative, with all 
of his mental eyes wide open all the time. The 
really good advertising man would be equally good 
as the head of any selling organization in any line of 



u 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



goods that he could bring himself to feel a real 
interest in. In advertising it is personality plus; 
and it is the plus element of the advertising man that 



WOODWARDS 
INCORPORATED 

nn organization "witii fhe 
/ purpose io investigate 
y thorou^Kly.-to ihink. 
dearly/io plan com- 
prehensive!/' to w^rk. 
intelligent^/ io serve 
sincerely ^^-^-^ 



WOODWARDS INCORPOIWJTED 

HERCHANDISFNG COUNSEL 
ADVERTISING • 

R.L.WHITTON VICE PRESIDENT 
900 SOUTH MICKIOAN AVE. •• CMiCAfiO 



we are especially interested in just now. It is the 
plus element that is going to determine not only the 
standing of the advertising man, but also the degree 
of success he attains in his business, in the near future. 
However great may be the success of any advertis- 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION ^ 

ing man he is not thereby freed from responsibility 
for some part of the general ineflSciency of adver- 
tising. If a man is able to score a success because of 



Lord &Thomas Creeds 

No. 8. Sincerity 



Humor has no place in advertising. 

Nor has poetry. Nor any touch of lightness. 

Spending money is serious business. And 
most folks so regard it. 

You are seeking confidence. Deserve it. 

You are courting respect. Avoid frivolity. 

People are not reading ads for amusement. 
They seek information. And they want it 
from a rneui who seems sincere. 

Picture a typical customer. Consider his 
wants— and his ignoramce— respecting what 
you have t* sell. 

Consider the importance— to him and to 
you— of what you ask him to do. 

Write as though that man were before you. 

Write as though your future depended on 
that sale. Your future does, when your words 
go to millions. 

Don't 'pass an ad until you feel that the 
reader will find it resistless. 

Make your case impregnable. 

Make every word ring with truth. 

There is nothing so winning in the world as 
absolute sincerity. Nothing is so abhorrent 
as iU lack. 



ThUlith* eighth of a ieriMof borne** creed! to he published in Printer?' 

lak tif Lord & Thomas. If you desire the set in cord form address 

Lord & Thomas, Chica^, New Yoric or Los An^ele* 



his personality, and if he scoffs at such aid as science, 
or pedagogy, offers him, he is in some measure an 
unsuccessful man, and is culpable in that he does not 
seek to add to his great qualities even a little more 
eflSciency. While it would be folly to assert that 



26 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

science in advertising is able to make a successful 
advertising man out of a dullard, it is not too much 
to claim that it is able to add to the power and eflS- 
ciency of the most brilliant man who ever made a 
reputation in advertising work; and the modicum of 
added force and eflSciency is needed in the advertising 
business. 

When an advertising man pleads his personality 
as an excuse for neglecting to make use of those 
principles that art teaches us are effective in making 
an advertisement pleasing to the common eye, and 
asserts, in place of the dictum of art, his own taste, 
he is an obstructionist in the business and is adding 
to its too large proportion of inefficiency. Also when 
he does this he is usually exercising a species of 
bravado. Why, he thinks, should there be anything 
that I do not instinctively know about advertising.^ 
Have I not managed several campaigns that have 
made men rich.^ He shuts his mind because in his 
practice he may have achieved a trifle better than 
the too low average that has prevailed in the business 
generally. 

When the time comes that advertising men con- 
sider that personality is nothing more than the parent 
stalk of ability, upon which there must be engrafted 
all that science and art can teach to make the adver- 
tising man who shall be in a position to achieve a 
tolerable success, then personality will have taken its 



I 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 



27 



rightful place in the profession of advertising — the 
place it occupies in all the other professions and 
crafts and businesses. 



You Don't 
Have to 
Spend $100 
For Vs to 
Make $13. 




Come advertising 

^^ agencies still cling to the 15% 
basis on advertising appropriations 
as compensation for their services. 

It can hardly be 'called selfishness then if 
they are interested most in what you spend 
rather than in what yo\i sell. 

Frequently we find in analyzing a manu- 
facturer's problems that advertising should 
be deferred until constructive foundation 
work is completed and then should take 
ianns which are not productive of large 
agency commissions. 

Naturally, therefore, we cannot depend on 

commissions on published advertising alone 
for our compensation. 

iThat is as it should be. It leaves us en- 
tirely unprejudiced. We have no tempta- 
tions to sway our judgment We need 
only to think of what your business needs 
most. We know business men are willing 
to pay for sales. 

If you feel that a group of trained business 
getters might shed a new light on your 
problems by studying them in the light of 
their experience, it might be worth ^hile 
for us to discuss the matter. 

You will deal with the principals in this 
organization, not the apprentices. 

WILLIAMS AND CARROLL 
CORPORATION 

Merchandisers 
Metropolitan Tower. New York 



So it is urged in this book that the rule of thumb 
be not relied upon to too great an extent. There is 
nothing in science but the gathered and tested results 
of the work and study of men. There is nothing in 
advertising but that. If a man writes and designs 



28 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

an advertisement in the fashion of one of the pio- 
neers in the business who made a success, he is making 
use of science. If an advertiser seeks to make his 
advertisement seem hke a talk to the people he 
wishes to interest, he is making use of art. Art is 
expression. All of the rules, principles, canons of 
art are simply methods of expression that have been 
gradually evolved from the usage and practice of 
mankind because they are effective and generally 
understood. 

Personality in advertising is a mighty good ser- 
vant, but an ineflScient master. It is a good staff to 
help along, but not good enough to lean upon for sole 
support. 

So when the printer of advertisements tells you 
that he knows all about type, how to "make it 
talk," etc., but takes no stock in art as applied to his 
work, it is time to seek another printer to make your 
advertisement as effective as possible. When a 
young man thinks that he has all that is necessary 
to make him a good advertising man because he is 
able to meet men and get them to listen to him — 
because he has been told that he is a born adver- 
tising man — it is time to turn to some one who still 
believes there is something to learn. 

But personality rules in the advertising field; little 
else. To illustrate to what extent personality ac- 
tually does rule, we show with this chapter several 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 29 

advertisements of advertising agencies clipped from 
one issue of Printers^ Ink. All of these advertise- 
ments are intended for the same pm-pose — to attract 




m 
AN ORGANIZATION 

Foundled »nd directed by 

A BUSINESS MAN 

whose wide and varied 

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE 

has been gained in aducl work on the "Firing Line" 

AS: I— SALESMAN : Selling good* on both side* of the counUr 
—to the coiuumer. to the ret&iler and to the wboleMler. 

2— BUYER : Purchasing merchandiie. u a manufacturer, aa an 
importer and as an exporter- 

3— DISTRIBUTING MANAGER: Planning and conducting 
trade inveitigations and distribution campaigns, establiahing 
territorial agencie* and securing dealer co-operation. 

4-MAIL ORDER MAN : Devising mail order plana thu 
rcaulted in profitable sales on a large scale. 

J— PUBLICITY DIRECTOR : Planning and conducting sue. 
cessful national and international advertising campaigns, 
buying advertising service in all it* forms and advertising 
space in all daues of media. 

6— GENERAL EXECUTIVE ; Executive management of larst 
commercial enterprises in diverse lines of industries, under 
the most varying conditioos. both here aitd abroad. 

Thic sotid foundation of practical knowledge enable* 
tu to see selling problems from the vitalljr interested 
standpoint of the man "on the inside looking out*'— 
not merely from the casually attracted glance of tl)« 
man on the "outside peeking in." 

InctMtigalt thli tenia uHlhoat Inatrring the tlighUtt okbgathm 

JAMES ZOBIAN COMPANY 

General Advertising 
225 rifth Avenue NEW YORK 

the attention of advertisers to agencies. Each one of 
them is the best product of the particular agency 
whose name is appended to it — or at least may be 
supposed to represent its best work in the way of 
making an advertisement to bring results. Yet 



L 



30 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



how various they are ! They run the gamut. One is 
tempted to see in them portraits of the men in 
control of the agencies mentioned, and indeed it can 



Is this now being read 
by a star layout and 
idea man? 



We want another o 



Hanff-Metzger 

laoorpomed 

Advertising Agents 

95 Madisoo Ave., New York 



be done. They are personality, some with and some 
without the plus. There could hardly be a better 
illustration of the truth of the assertion that per- 
sonality rules in the making of the advertisements of 
the day; that there is little of system, rule, principle, 
at present in the work. Not one of them is ap- 



THE PERSONAL EQUATION 31 

parently made by a real advertising expert; they all 
lack the vital elements that each agency represented 
is able to put into the work it does for its clients. 
Nearly all of them offer opportunity to the critic, 
as to form and copy; while in some of them the idea 
is so hazy as to almost be undiscoverable. Only one 
hits the reader with an idea. Three are the evident 
product of personalities; the others must have been 
evolved in "conference," that extinguisher of per- 
sonality. 

Is it not proper to assume that advertising agencies 
are able to advertise themselves.^ Agency men will 
say that it is not possible. The answer is, "Why?" 
Another answer is that personality prevents. When 
there comes into the field in a controlling fashion the 
man who is able to supplement personality with all 
that science and art can teach him, then there will be 
advertisements of advertising which advertise adver- 
tising. 

If one is inclined to sum up, to generalize, to try 
and get at the real basis of any profession, trade, or 
business, it would appear that personality is at the 
bottom of everything in the world that moves on- 
ward. W thout the compelling personality of Dar- 
win where would his "Origin of Species" have been.^ 
Without the personality of any great man the theories 
he put into practice would have lain inert, exerting 
little or no influence in the world. 



32 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

It is so in the advertising field, and more also. 
Whatever we may conclude in relation to this or that 
scientific theory, it lies dormant and without prac- 
tical value until some virile person takes it up and 
applies it in his practice. While it often seems that 
principles and theories that have satisfied students 
as to their value are set aside, extinguished, or dis- 
credited because practical men refuse to adopt them, 
it is true, in the long run, that to personality we are 
indebted for putting into actual practice whatever of 
science or theory is found to be useful in advertising. 



CHAPTER III 

THE "human interest" APPEAL 

WE HEAR much about the " human interest" 
appeal in advertising. In copy it has been 
called "the reason why/' 

There was a time, some years ago, when this idea 
was quite a fetich. There were many writers of 
advertising copy who made reputations turning out 
queer stuff, that strained at grammatical leashes 
and hurdled rhetoric quite heedlessly. Most of it 
was anything but real reason-why stuff, because 
there was not much of reason or why in its composi- 
tion. 

But the idea was right. It is quite wrong to turn 
out any advertising copy if there is not easily per- 
ceived in it the reason for it, and the reason for the 
request it makes of the reader. Making the reason 
for it plain in copy is the same as getting at the people 
the copy is written to interest; and that is what the 
scientists call psychology — the science of the mind. 
All advertising is intended to get into the minds of 
the readers and influence them. 

The physical advertisement must open the door of 

33 



mm 



1 



JfWJ •' 
v\\\\w^ opm yJaanp 

The Nights Are 
Gk>1 Up Here! 

Shut your eyes and smell the cool 
message of the mountains, mingled With 
the sweet breath of the pipes. 
*We are m the 

ADIRONDACKS 

Can't you hear the faint ripple of the dance music 
over at the hotel* — echoing the sleepy wavelets on the 
beach? This is where the Turc of the primeval and the 
comforts of civilization meet. 

Send for Illustrated Booklet 



n TOO win ttll oar Travel Baron ia a gefienl w»j ttw 
oamber in jour party, mbout the amount of moocy 70a waot 
10 tpend, «tb>t you moit like to do, wc will pr6potc 00c or 
two tript (or your cooiideratioo with coirtplrte ialonsadon, 
■nd Kod dnoiptive booklet*. Or, i( you koow jint exactly 
where yea wmnt to go, let u« know and wc will give you all 
iofonsatioo. 

A(kb«M TRAVEL BUREAU 
Grand CoBtnl Temunal New York 



5^1*^ '=>iiSimmmm^^'-^^^^ 



, M.WIORK 

(ENTRAtjl 



While there are faults in the design of this advertisement, the units are properly 
used and placed. The attractive illustration suggests the reading of the text, and 
the mark of the railroad leaves the right thought in the reader's mind at the end. 



THE "HUMAN INTEREST" APPEAL 35 

the mind of the reader, or all the human interest, 
all the reason why that can be put into the copy 
will be lost. This is why it is so important to have 
the advertisement made in such fashion as to catch 
the eyes of those persons who read newspapers, 
magazines, etc., and who travel where they may see 
car cards, posters, and the like. There is the reason 
why of the physical advertisement as well as of the 
copy that is embodied within the physical advertise- 
ment. 

This is one of the most obvious and simplest of all 
the problems the advertising man has to consider, 
or the business man who pays for advertising has to 
think about. 

Here, let us imagine, is John Smith, standing before 
us, waiting for us to address him. How are we going 
to speak to him.^ What are we going to say to him, 
and how are we going to say it, to interest him in the 
pocket knife we wish to sell to him, or the suit of 
clothes we wish to have him buy for his boy.'^ 

If we have known Smith all his life, and all our 
Ufe, it will be very easy to say the right thing in the 
right way. We think of Smith's peculiarities; we 
consider his personality, and our own personality. 
We think of our mutual intercourse, of the things 
we have in common, of the many times we have 
discussed things; and automatically we say the right 
thing to Smith, in the right way. 




Engineering the Telephone 



n^HE great Bell System, with 
1 its telephone highways 
^nnecting the farthest points 
of the country, is primarily a 
l>Tain creation. 

The telephone engineer is 
the genius of communication. 
Like the general of an army, 
he plans, projects and xiirects 
his campaigns far ahead. He 
deals with the seemingly im- 
possible — transforming ideas 
and ideals into concrete facts. 

. His problems may involve 
doubling the capacity of a 
city's oinderground telephone 
«y8tem, or the building of a 
transcontinental line, or a se-^ 
rious WEur-shortage of supplies 
needed in telephone work- 



Whatever the difficulties, 
they must be overcome so that 
the progress of the telephone 
shall continue equal to the ever- 
growing peeds of the people. 

It is not enough, to provide 
only for the present — the fu- 
ture must be anticipated and 
discounted. 

In the Bell System.more than 
two thousand highly efficient 
engineers and scientists are 
constantly working* on the 
complex problems of the tele- 
phone business. 

As a result, the service keeps 
step with present requirement* 
and the assurance is given to 
every subscriber that the Bell 
System is prepared for what- 
ever the future develops. 



^ 






American Telephone and Telegraph Company 

' And Associated Companies 

One Policy One System Universal Service 

The advertising of the various telephone companies, notably the parent company 
and the New York company, has been of pronounced human interest, and very 
eflfective. The design always leads the mind toward the argument of the copy. 



THE "HUMAN INTEREST" APPEAL 37 

That is applied psychology — nothing else. We do 
not realize that it is that. We never think of psy- 
chology during the fraction of a second we hesitate 
before speaking. We do not think of any of the 
things mentioned in connection with our knowledge 
of Smith; but all of them are in our subconscious 
mind, and have their influence upon us. We speak 
to Smith in the light of our life-long acquaintance 
with him, and our speech is framed to make to him 
the peculiar appeal that all the circumstances of his 
life and ours suggest as the best appeal. 

This is obvious, and automatic. We do not con- 
sciously study Smith at the time we make up our 
mind to try and sell him the knife, but we do proceed 
in accord with a profound knowledge of the man, 
based upon association and observation. 

Just that exact process is the process suggested 
by psychology with regard to masses of people that we 
have not known and have not studied and observed. 

While it is impossible for us to know thousands of 
people as we know Smith, yet we know that there are 
certain characteristics, habits of mind, tendencies 
toward action, that are common to all people. Just 
what are those traits and habits, and just how they 
may be appealed to by us as advertisers, is what it is 
the business of psychology to tell us. And it does 
tell us, if we are able to read and interpret what the 
scientists have been working out for us. 



38 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

As has been stated, more than once already, it is 
the form of the advertisement— its looks — that first 
appeals to readers. That must be agreeable, or have 



Are\bu Going to College 
This Fall? 

There Is no reason why you should not 
obtain the education you want. Cer- 
tainly lack of funds offers no obstacle. 
Each year we pay the college expenses 
of hundreds of young men and women. 

Write for information about our plan. What it 
is doing for others it will do for you. Address 

Box 580, Educational Division 
The Curtis Publishing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsyl 



An excellent piece of plain typography, and as used among many more elabo- 
rately designed advertisements one of the more effective and noticeable in the 
issue in which it appeared. The space over the heading might have been less, 
and that under the signature greater; and the form would have been slightly 
better if the depth had been about a quarter of an inch more. Then the form 
would have been an optical square, while now it is neither a golden section nor 
a square. 

some other major interest, if it is to be read. There 
is a human interest possibility for the physical adver- 
tisement, a reason why that shows at the first glance. 



THE "HUMAN INTEREST" APPEAL 39 

The reason why does not, however, pertain to the 
argument of the copy, nor does the human interest 
element pertain to the argument. These elements 



gl^^MJJftLlilU^^iM^^aL^JJlMfty^ 




When you telephone, let 
him hear the smile in 
I your voice. He can't see 

\ the smile on your face. 



NEW YORK TELEPHONE CO. 



^j«vth«tit^t^j^t^i^v»^ixii?n^^ 



' Happily harmonized with the human-interest motive of the copy this advertise- 
ment is as good-natured as the copy wishes patrons of the telephone to be. 

of the good advertisement get no further than the 
eye, to induce it to send the message along to the 
brain, in order that at least so much as the catch line 
of the advertisement may be read. 

It is here that we find reason and justification for 



40 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

the differing physical character of advertisements 
intended to promote different lines of business or 
projects. The superficial student of this phase of 
advertising might easily fall into grave error. Be- 
cause people's minds may be influenced by form and 
physical character does not prove that they can be 
favorably influenced in the same manner and direc- 
tion for purposes that involve action for different 
motives. The action of any mind is most profoundly 
influenced by the purpose that is to be served by the 
action proposed. 

So it is that we find it is necessary to put much 
attractive charm into certain advertisements, and 
to almost eliminate it from others. The advertise- 
ment that might be designed successfully to attract 
ladies to certain perfumes, for example, would not 
attract the same ladies to a bank that wished to 
solicit their patronage. The advertisement de- 
signed so attractively as to induce women to buy 
hats would scarcely help to sell bonds to the same 
women. 

We touch here upon a fundamental error in adver- 
tising. A great many advertisements are dressed in 
wrong garb. They appeal to one habit of the mind 
by their physical character, and to another by their 
copy. It is the copy appeal that is to bring the 
profit to the advertiser, and the physical appeal 
should lead in the same direction. The physical 



A TLANTIC Terra Cotta can be used for 

/^ so many different kinds of buildings 
that it is hard to give definite infor- 
mation unless we know something about the 
building you have under consideration. 

If at any time you find it convenient to write us a 
description or send us a few rough sketches we shall 
be glad to answer personally and in detail. 

Perhaps we can supplement our answer with a copy 
of our monthly magazine, Atlantic Terra Cotta^ con- 
taining illustrations of particular interest. 

Anyway, we shall do our best to give you the in- 
formation y9u want, and we shall not subject you 
to a long and mechanical series of "follow-up" letters 
and folders. 




Atlantic Terra Cotta Company 
1170 Broadway, New York 

Copyright, 1916. Atlantic Terra Cotta Co. 

The interest of the man who is considering the important problems of building 
"is challenged in this advertisement, which by its unusual and unique form achieves 
the best possible display. 



42 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

form that would suggest ostrich plumes would not be 
productive for a bank, or for a disinfectant. 

We are bound to study the character of the buying 
motive, and try and make the physical motive of the 
advertisement of a like quality. If it is hats that 
we are to try to sell, we are to 'consider that hats are 
more decorative, when worn by women, than utili- 
tarian. Therefore, the physical motive of the adver- 
tisement should be agreeably decorative. But if it is 
bonds that are to be offered, even if they are to be 
offered to women, we must think that bonds are not 
decorative, but are to be stowed away in dark vault 
drawers, where they rarely will be seen. Moreover, 
bonds are things that require very sober considera- 
tion. They do not figure before the mirror. They 
mean much as to the quality of life made possible 
for their owners. Their influence is all toward the 
gray and drab realities of life. We do not visualize 
them beyond the figures representing the income they 
produce. Hence, it seems evident that the advertise- 
ment intended to sell bonds should be extremely 
conservative in its fashion. 

The decorative motive in advertising is a lure, and 
the lure ought not to be pushed to this extreme unless 
it is to drive home some direct and present personal 
advantage. If we inject the physical lure into ad- 
vertisements intended to suggest social or altruistic 
motives it looks as though there must be some con- 




TV the man who knows 
a fine piece of Mech- 
anism and appreciates 
a Custom-Built body 
the White Motor Car is 
a \^ery real satisfaction 

THE WHITE COMPANY 

CISVEIANO 



This advertisement may almost be accepted as a model. It has one small defect: 
The double floret separating the body from the signature is too black. The eye 
jumps to it. It is much blacker than the tone of the advertisement. Compare it 
with any other equal area in the piece, and it will be seen to be too black. 



44 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

cealed personal motive behind the sober statements 
of the text. Even grace of form is resented in con- 
nection with advertisements of banks, etc. Dis- 
interested motives may not safely be set forth in the 
style that is the most effective for a toilet article. 

We hear about the association of ideas to help lead 
the mind in specified directions. The same principle 
applies to the physical character of advertisements. 

All advertisements should conform to certain basic 
principles as to form and optical qualities. All 
advertisements should be agreeable to the eye, and 
be easy to read. When this is achieved, there comes 
up for consideration the extent and character and 
quality of the elements that are strictly attractive; 
and they are to be chosen and fixed by thinking about 
the same things the copy writers think about when 
they talk about human-interest copy and reason- 
why copy. The appeal is to people as they think, as 
they feel, as they have been bred, and as the adver- 
tised thing applies in their lives. 

The wise banker does not approach a man to whom 
he hopes to sell a block of bonds with a pirouette. 
He comes to him soberly, heartily, frankly, and he 
tells an unvarnished tale of earnings and prospects 
and security. He does not speak in heavy type, 
italic type, queerly designed type. He does not 
embroider his talk as with decorative borders, nor 
are his illustrations reproduced in three colors. His 



r 



* WELCOME ♦ 




W'E, c?/ Philadelphia, va/ue hospitality as much 
for the congenial occupation of exercising it as for 
the love of keeping alive a well-won reputation for 
the open heart and hand, *^ ^ ^ ^ ^m ^ ^ 

A ND so this is no cold and formal notice that we shall 
•*^ count ourselves the poorer if you fail to pay us a visit 
while in our city. Nor do vv^e hold to any more desperate 
purpose in this page than to offer opportunity- to the 
gentlemen of The Advertising Hosts of the World 
to. steal away from the attractive business in hand and 
renew old friendships or perhaps establish some pleasant 
new ones at Advertising Headquarters. 

N. W. AVER & SON 
300 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia 



New York 



Boston 



Chicago 



This style of advertising tjrpography was much affected some twenty years ago, 
and now has the merit of novelty because so few advertisers use it. 



46 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

talk is, let us say, all in 12-point roman type, without 
display lines, borders, illustrations, or decorations. 
It is not in full-page volume, but restricted to reason- 
able space — calm, sober, restrained, modest as to form 
while strong and informing as to content. 

And the bond-seller's appeal in the advertisement 
is very like his talk. It is modest as to space, re- 
strained as to type, conventional as to form. 

In other lines the same principles apply. If there 
is not physical charm in the advertisements for the 
milUner, it is likely that there will not be great re- 
sponse to the appeal. If furniture is not attractively 
pictured, it is likely that the advertisement of it will 
be either a total or a comparative failure. 

It is the human-interest appeal that is as important 
in the physical advertisement as in the copy — more 
so, inasmuch as the physical advertisement is the 
password into the mind, where the human-interest 
copy is received, read, digested, and acted upon. 



CHAPTER IV 



ADVERTISING DISPLAY 



THAT historian of business who shall attempt 
to trace the roots of advertising will find it 
diflScult to account for the fashions in adver- 
tising display that have been in vogue since the 
middle of the nineteenth century. 

What led advertisers from the severe fashion in dis- 
play which was employed in business announcements 
some two or three generations ago, the last traces of 
which have but just faded from our view ? The adver- 
tisements in the London Spectator, when Addison and 
his literary friends wrote most of its contents, were not 
displayed at all. They did not even have heads. They 
were set almost like the "pure reading matter" of the 
paper. They were given no sort of prominence. It 
is not so many years since the New York Herald ad- 
mitted display type to its advertising columns; and 
several of the older papers of the country held on to 
their severe style for advertising display even longer. 
The advertising men had their way, however, and 
there was an era of typographical orgies, which has 
but recently begun to abate. 

47 



48 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

Some of the foremost among the advertising experts 
are now trying to force their clients to adopt a quieter 
typography for advertising; and, in the face of the 
exaggerated display prevalent in most of the news- 
papers and periodicals, this return toward the 
restraint of earlier times is really the very best pos- 
sible display, and argues nothing at all in favor of a 
general return to such restraint. It is argued by the 
extremist among the purists that there is no reason 
for the excessive display used by advertisers; that 
advertising should be treated in a manner similar to 
the regular reading matter. 

Whatever may ultimately be the fate of the dis- 
played advertisement, it is manifest that it cannot be 
put upon a display parity with reading matter, for 
the simple reason that readers seek out in the reading 
matter that portion which interests them, while the 
advertisement is compelled to reverse the process 
and seek for its readers among those who turn over 
and glance at the pages of newspapers and periodicals. 
If it could be imagined that advertising would ever 
come to be esteemed as reading matter is esteemed, 
then we might contemplate setting advertising in the 
monotone assigned to reading. That time will never 
come. Advertising will never appeal to readers in 
like manner with reading matter, and it follows that 
it will never again be typed as reading matter is 
typed, nor anything approaching that style* An 




In the apartment house at 200 West 58th Street (comer 
Seventh Avenue) there are found all of those desirable 
qualities which make an apartment homelike — good loca* 
tion, cheerful and efficient service, quick accessibility from up 
or downtown, combined with an atmosphere of refinement. 
Apartments 3 to 6 rooms — Rentals $1200 to $2800— 
include free refrigeration. 



DURHAM REALTY CORPORATION. Fifth Avenue Building. New York City 

|.CTH0KKrw4at 



ses^ 



I Doubtless an advertisement more nearly perfect than this can be made, but 
doubtless such an advertisement appears very infrequently. 



50 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

advertisement must have a personality that attracts 
among many others of its kind. 

But it is quite evident that advertising display has 
gone a long way on the road toward extremism; and 
it has gone without much reason and almost no lead- 
ership. It requires little effort of the imagination 
to realize that more restraint in display would im- 
prove advertising as a whole, and render it much 
more agreeable to the majority of readers. If all 
advertising could be toned down something like 50 
per cent, in typographic strength and blackness, the 
relative display of each advertisement would be as 
valuable. It would doubtless be more valuable, 
since it is certain that the average reader would 
enjoy added comfort when he reads his favorite 
newspaper or magazine. 

This applies not alone — indeed, not chiefly — to 
typography as such, but with equal or greater truth 
to all of the physical elements of the advertising, 
such as the illustrations, the decorations, and the 
borders. It applies with special meaning to the 
arrangement of the units of the advertisement — 
their composition into attractive wholes. The desire 
for distinction for their advertisements has led 
advertising designers very far afield. They have 
constantly tried to produce novel effects, and have 
not hesitated to ignore any or all of the laws applying 
to composition. We have become accustomed, and 



ADVERTISING DISPLAY 51 

rather hardened, to advertisements showing illus- 
trations placed as awkwardly as possible, to borders 
the design of which clashed sharply with the design 
of the type used or with the general motive of the 
advertisement, to decorations wholly out of har- 
mony with the other units of the piece, to type forms 
that lent themselves to discord but not to symmetry, 
and to the placing of these units in conglomerate 
fashion that ignored all principles tending to unity 
and harmony. 

It is probably safe to conclude that the fashions 
that rule in advertising have been evolved from the 
immense competition in advertising that has been 
going on for many years, and that has gained in 
intensity with the passing of every year. There has 
been a very earnest struggle to improve advertising 
to such a degree that it might become more efficient. 
Advertising men have realized that advertising, as 
an economic proposition, is absolutely unassailable 
as one of the greatest promoters of business. It is 
understood that its principles are economically 
sound. It is known that its accomplishments are so 
great as to fix it very firmly for all time into the warp 
of business. On this line it is recognized that adver- 
tising cannot be assailed. But when it has come to 
the question of classing advertising with the other 
operations of business, as an absolutely predictable 
element in any given problem of business building, 




TV/filltary standards of efficiency 

-*"^-*- have been maintained in the up- 
building and upkeep of the Union Pacific 



The special Act of Congress 
governing this railroacT re- 
quires such standards and the 
Union Pacific has kept faitji 
with Congress and the Nation 
by spending scores of miUions 
in straightened way, reduced 
grades and curves, double 
tracks, automatic electric 
safety signals, superb granite- 
gravel road-bed and other 



improvements which make 
this railroad not only fit for 
war but super- jit for peace. 
In time of war the govern- 
ment reserves first right to the 
service of the "national rail- 
road." But in time of peace 
travclen and shippers get 
full benefit of this extr^or- 
dinarv preparedness. 



Union Pacific System 

^Qtm East and West with a BouIevarJ of Steet 

3. B. DeFriest, 0. E. A.. Union Pacific R. R, 
WoolworiU Bldg., 236 Broadway, New York. 




This is one of the same series as that on the opposite page, and shows what a 
great advantage may be secured by the use of a decorative illustration, and the il- 
luminating sketch map. This advertisement is not less than 50 per cent, more 
optically attractive than the other, and hence stands that much better chance of 
being read. 




I 




^he \J. S. Government 

now is helping to develop 
Yellowstone and other National 

Parks. Secretary Lane of the Department 
of the Interior is taking a lively interest in 
getting more citizens to see Yellowstone 
Park and our other national beauty spots, 
because our national scenic resources are 
properly conserved only when they are 
used by a maximum number of Americans. 



An important part of the 
new government program is 
the pubh'cation of beautiful, 
authentic descriptidns of our 
great playgrounds in booklets 
which Joon will be ready for 
free distribution. Through 
the courtesy of the Interior 
Department the Union Pa- 
cific System will co-operate 
in the movement to increase 
travel to Yellowstone Park by 
reprinting the government 
book on this wonderland. 

To all who send in their 
namesthisbcokwill be mailed 
as soon as it is off the press, 



together' with full information 
on how to reach the Yellow- 
stone, rates, etc. 

About two-thirds of all 
who visit the Park enter 
through the western gateway 
(Yellowstone Station), the 
Union Pacific entrance, be- 
cause Colorado and Salt Lake 
City may be seen on the way 
without added expense, and 
also because this makes a con- 
venient side trip on the way 
to California or the North 
Pacific Coast. 

Send for free booklets 
•\bout Yellowstone. 



UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM 

JotHS East and West wtth a Boulevard tf SUet 



' This comes quite near to being a model typographic advertisement. Setting the 

] first three hnes in larger type compensates for the absence of a displayed heading. 
I The signature should have been managed so that it could have been set the measure 
i of the body of the text, and the agency line made in two parts, to harmonize with 
the second unit of the text. The signature need not have been in bold type. 



54 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

the best and most experienced among advertising 
men are compelled to confess that it cannot be so 
placed. Why it cannot be so placed is a problem 
that has not been studied thoroughly, and of course 
not solved. Whether or not there is a possible solu- 
tion has not been ascertained. Some believe that 
there is, and others are sure that there is not. 

When there shall have been accumulated a suflS- 
cient body of recorded experience, and that expe- 
rience shall have been analyzed as other phases of 
business are analyzed, there will be data available 
to justify opinions, at least, if not to formulate laws 
the operation of which would assure us advertising 
in which the percentage of ineflSciency would be 
relatively as small as it now is relatively great. 
We do not know to what extent the physical adver- 
tisement contributes to its general total of ineflS- 
ciency, and until we do know it is diflScult to say 
just what should be done to better display. We are, 
however, on sure ground when we suggest that the 
displayed advertising printed in a newspaper or 
magazine need not be radically at variance with the 
reading text. They must be different, for the reason 
stated ; but they need not be quite so different as they 
now are. In so far as it is possible to make adver- 
tising conform to certain laws of harmony, which are 
enforced on the reading pages, that might be done. 

It is possible to conceive that the advertising pages 




A Country Banker's Story 

(Told at a tractor demonstration in a prosperous Western county) 



Three men met recently at a tractor 
demonstration in a prosperous Western 
county. One of them was a leading 
country banker of Illinois. Another 
was an editorial writer on a well-known 
farm paper. The third was a salesman 
of advertising. 

In addition to being at his desk in the 
bank every day, the banker owns several 
thousand acres of high-grade farm lands, 
the operation of which he personally 
directs. 

The salesman asked him how great 
irasa banker's influence upon hisncigh- 
bors in the purchase of machinery, the 
equipment of their farms and the meth- 
ods of farming which they followed. 

It was a question of the power of 
leadership among fanners. 

And this is what the banker said: 
^ "The men in the position of leaders 
among farmers have a very great respon- 
sibility. I have urged country bankers 
for years to realize their responsibility 
ia tliis respect. Even if they do not own 
farms, their banking customers seek 
their advice. 

"This responsibility means so much 
to me that, m equipping my own farm, 
I am always careful not to put up any 
building, buyany equipment, nor under- 
take any experiment in farming which 
Vould be liable to lead my neighbor 
astray. 

" I spoke at a meetin g of farmers right 
here last winter. As I sat down, a farmer 



got up and said; 'It's easy enough for 
you to buy this improved machinery, 
and build the buildings you have been 
dcscribmg, because you are wealthy 
But the rest of us can't afford to equip 
our farms that way ' 

"I tell you I was glad to be able to 
say to this man that he or any other 
good farmer in the county can come to 
my bank and borrow money at the pre- 
vailing rate of mtcrest, to erect on his 
farm any buildings duplicating mine, or 
to buy any of the machinery that I have 
bought for my own use. 

"In other words I could sliow my 
faith in the equipment I had bought by 
offering to lend him money to buy this 
same equipment." 

At this point a young farmer joined 
the group to ask the banker's advice 
about the purchase of a tractor He 
knew that the banker had two on his 
farm, and he wanted the benefit of that 
experience. 

The banker told the farmer that the 
fact he had bought a second tractor was 
the best evidence of his belief in their 
practicability. And when the farmer 
asked what make of machine the banker 
would recommend, he was referred t:. 
the work these machines bad done on 
his farm. 

Whereupon the farmer started out for 



the headquarters of the machine th« 
banker uses. 

It was natural for the advertising man 
to ask the next question, and the banker 
answered it this way. 

"It certainly ought not to be difficult 
to convince manufacturers of the im- 
portance of making their appeal to the 
leaders m every community An appeal 
of that sort is the most eflective and the 
quickest way of influencing the mass of 
our farming population There is not 
any doubt about it." 



In every farm community there are 
leaders who dominate. They are leader* 
of agricultural thought. They buy with 
forethought and care, and indirectly 
they influence the buying impulse of 
the entire commumty 

The country bankers are but one 
factor in this group. 

The county agents and agncultural 
educators are another 

Thj largest and most successful farm- 
ers are equally influential. 

There is a pubUcation which is the 
inspiration of practically everyone' in 
this dominating group of country busi- 
ness men, "educators and practical farm- 
ers, representing huge buying capacity 
in the farm market. 

That publicatioQ u The Qountry 
Gentleman- 



'TSe COUNTRY 
GENTLEMAN 



The Curds Publishing Company, Independence Square, Philadelphi& 

An advertisement that is not alone agreeable to the eye, tempting the reader, but 
the features of which all help to tell the story. 



56 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

of a magazine, and the advertising columns of a 
newspaper, may at least be as agreeable to the 
reader as are those sections assigned to reading. It 
is thought that they are, in some instances, now. 
That claim is often made. Some man or woman 
will declare, in a letter to the advertising manager, 
that the advertising sections are replete with in- 
terest to him, or her. And so they are. If a person 
has the time, and the temperament, a careful read- 
ing of the advertisements furnishes both pleasure and 
profit. But such persons are as one in a thousand. 
It is the 999 that we wish to win to the reading of 
advertisements. 

It is to be remembered that the eye does not de- 
mand intellectual pabulum for its entertainment. 
It is not attracted toward the most brilliant story 
that ever was written, nor toward the best poem. 
That which the eye does demand is beauty. It 
will fly to beauty, dwell on it, absorb it; and return 
to it. That advertisement in any medium which 
may be designed and made so perfectly as to be in 
itself a thing of artistic beauty will be noticed, and 
not only noticed but returned to again and again, 
until the mind of the reader becomes saturated not 
only with a realization of the beauty of the piece but 
with a sense of the desirability of the thing advertised. 

Mention in any company of readers of a particular 
periodical an advertisement of exceptional beauty 




The artist doesn't do our Nor- 
folks justice. 

We wanted a picture to show 
how large our stock for Spring 1 

Now we*re 'fraid some stout 
friend may imagine he*ll look like 
the picture 1 

But weVe the plcasantest little 
surprise m store for him. Our 
fat men*s sizes fit quite as smart- 
ly as pur Norfolks for men of 
slimmer build. 

Scotch honiMpuni. Scotch ch«vlota. 
Jrlah Doneff&la. Sh&Dtunc Silk. Whlto 
BerfOw 

With either breeches or long 
trousers. 



Our VGymkhana" golf clubs 
are the same models as the prize- 
winning clubs of the Panama 
Pacific Exposition. 

Rogers Peet Company 



Advertisements like this — ^just a catchy illustration for the initial attractive fea- 
ture, and straight typography for the text — have been used by this company from 
its first beginning. They have helped to make a great business, and several large 
fortunes. This lesson in skilled restraint in advertising display has been before the 
Inisiness public for a generation, and its influence has but just recently been percep)- 
tibly felt in displayed advertising. It is adapted to but few lines of business, but 
has l)een tried by only a few of that few. 



58 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

and it will be found that nearly all have seen and 
noted it. Almost any line of advertising that has 
been consistently fine as pieces of beautiful adver- 
tising work will be found to have become firmly 
seated in the memories of readers of mediums in 
which the line has appeared And almost all lines 
of staple goods that have been advertised through 
beautifully designed advertisements have been com- 
mercial successes. There are many articles that 
have thus been given great sales that in themselves 
have not been in any way remarkable. 

The designer of advertising should not let himself 
fall into the error that it is the individual advertise- 
ment alone that demands attention from him. The 
handsomest advertisement may be completely nega- 
tived by the environment into which it is placed in 
the newspaper form or the magazine page. Not a 
little of the inefliciency of advertising may be due to 
this snuflSng out of the individual advertisement. 
But it is a difficult matter adequately to deal with. 
Often it is impossible to know how an advertisement 
is to be placed. Some advertisers believe that it is 
wise to make separate advertisements for each 
medium, but this would not be possible except in a 
small minority of cases. Usually advertisers must 
be content to make their work distinctive enough to 
be noticeable in any medium. 

Are there any general principles that should be 



ADVERTISING DISPLAY 59 

considered in fixing display? There is at least this 
important consideration: People are habituated to 
reading what the printers call "straight matter/' 
such as the news and editorial columns of the news- 
papers and the literary sections of the magazines. 
In these departments they find headings to draw 
attention to articles, and to give some idea of what 
they are about. Those headings are the attractive 
part of the matter. By them the reader is able to 
decide whether he cares to go on and read the body 
of the articles. When he has decided that point 
and dips into the reading matter, he has Kttle to 
spur his interest except the interest inherent in 
the matter itself. Some newspapers, verging upon 
the "yellow" variety, make use of black-faced type 
to emphasize words or sentences; but this is really a 
hindrance to the reader. 

Since Gutenberg invented movable type, and there- 
fore printing, people's eyes have been accustomed to 
read this straight, undisplayed matter. When ad- 
vertising began to be displayed there was imposed 
upon the eyes a new and different task. They were 
required to accommodate themselves to many shocks. 
They were obliged to read in an altogether different 
manner. The advertising idea had been partially 
established before the display idea became so ram- 
pant, and readers were determined to read the adver- 
tising. Their interest was spurred by some of the 




When you are in Philadelphia, you 
are in the city of "firsts"— the city of 
the first bank, the first newspaper, 
the first trade paper, the first farm 
paper ever to guarantee its adver- 
tising. 

In Philadelphia you are in the city 
of "greatests"— the biggest lace works, 
the biggest hat factory, the biggest 
carpet mills, the biggest farm paper. 

In Philadelphia you will enjoy visit- 
ing the home of . 

The Farm Journal 

"first" and "greatest** 
over l.OOOjOOOOLcirculation 

This advertisement and that on the opposite page are for the same purpose— to 
advertise newspapers to advertisers. This advertisement is quiet, restrained, and 
carries conviction. The other — well, look at it ! 



I 



An Idea That Is Making Good 



THE 

KNICKERBOCKER 

PRESS 

COVERS 

Albany Jrof, Schenectady and 
The Capitol District 

FOR YOU 

RATE. SIX CENTS FLAT 



Advertisers, Saks Managers and 

Space Buyers are requested 

to write 

THE MCKERBOCKER PRESS 

FOR FACTS 




WBIJCATK)N,OFnCB 
tS.22 Bmvw 5U AUwuy. N. Y. 



TROY 
S82IUT«rSt, 



SCHENKTADY 



(Member of A. B. C.) 



This advertisement might have been designed more unattractively, but it la a tax 
upon one's imagination to conceive how. Contrasted with that upon the opposite 
page, it is loud* incoherent, and unconvincing. 



62 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

features of display, as the illustrations, and some of 
the decorative motives. Doubtless some who read 
the advertisements in the Spectator would not be 
wilKng to undertake the reading of the displayed 
advertising of to-day. 

The radical difference between advertising and 
straight reading matter seems unwarranted. There 
must be a difference. There must be some physical at- 
trat3tive feature. When that is provided it seems rea- 
sonable to suggest that the readers of advertising might 
be spared some of the concussion so lavishly showered 
upon them from advertising. After having got the 
attention of the reader, through a good layout and a 
live catch line or illustration, why not allow him to 
read the text of the advertisement with something 
like the lucid comfort he may read the news articles? 
It would not be wise to print the text of advertising 
in type like reading matter, or of relatively the same 
size. But the method of using the type may well be 
similar. The argument of the advertising may be set 
in plain paragraphs, for the most part, with here and 
there a word or sentence in italic or bold-faced type. 
This is the easier reading, and that is one of the primal 
conditions of the good advertisement. 

It is certain that there will soon come a time when 
this matter of hysteria in display will end. It is 
almost in sight. It has been pushed to the extreme. 
There are a few advertisers who know from experience 



ADVERTISING DISPLAY 63 

that it is unnecessary and not profitable. Some of 
the greatest advertising successes have been won 
with sane display. The tendency to cut out inartis- 
tic and useless display is evident. The right basis for 
display is to attract attention with some feature that 
is interesting, striking, and characteristic; and when 
readers have thus been induced to note the adver- 
tisement, make it easy and agreeable for them to 
read the message of the advertiser. Many readers 
unconsciously vocalize what they read — not audibly, 
of course, but really. The ordinary displayed adver- 
tisement cannot be vocalized. Yet in a way it must 
be vocalized. If it is read with appreciation the lines 
of various sizes of type shout, shriek, yell, or boom 
as if uttered through a megaphone. The reading 
matter of an advertisement should have that smooth, 
even-toned character that is used in conversation 
that is intended to be convincing. 

It is quite impossible not to relate all forms of com- 
munication with those to which we have been ac- 
customed — which we have used in all relations of life; 
which have come down to us from the remotest vistas 
of history. Not only have our eyes been formed to 
read straight matter, and to protest if asked to read 
the mixture of optical objects presented by ordinary 
displayed advertising, but the brain and all the 
methods and processes of apperception have been 
built up around it. 



64 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

If this matter is carefully thought out, and studied 
with this idea in mind, it will be perceived that some 
proportion of the inefficiency of advertising must be 
charged to the inartistic, over-wrought, illogical, 
unattractive methods of display which have been 
gradually creeping in upon the advertisers. Loud 
type tones are not all that is discordant in display, 
however. The several features of an advertisement 
have their rightful places. If they are misplaced 
there is discord; and discord is not strength. Order, 
we have been told, is nature's first law. Nobody 
would be attracted toward the man who tied his 
cravat about the lower button of his waistcoat, or 
who wore his hat upon his foot, or who insisted upon 
donning his coat " 'hind side afore." Yet adver- 
tisers seem to think that it is good practice to use 
the attractive illustration at the foot of their adver- 
tisement, to disregard the laws of proportion, sym- 
metry, etc. The distribution of the features of an 
advertisement otherwise than in their natural order 
does not conduce to the attractive power of the ad- 
vertisement. A person's head must sit upon the 
uppermost end of his neck, and nowhere else. His 
hat is to be worn upon his head, and his cravat must 
be used to dress his neck. 



Are you prepared for the 
coining season's strain ? 

Health is woman's ^ 
greatest asset 



► ^ ^c-i^ 



Back to city life again! Refreshed 
and invigorated after your summer 
vacation. Teeming with surplus 
health. 

"How long will this surplus energy 
last you? Will it carry you through 
the coming season? 

Whether it is in business or in 
society, the season ahead of you will 
require all the surplus health you 
have stored up. 

You will be constantly "on the go" 
— constantly on your feet. 

No matter how fatiguing your day 
may have been— in the evening at 
the dinner party you are expected to 
look fresh and bright. You cannot 
afford to show fatigue. 



Save your energy 

Resolve right now to save your ^ _ _ 
energy; avoid unnecessary fatigue, i"'^;,';::,';//. 

Your shopping, your housework, 
those long hours on your feet need 
not exhaust you. They should use 
up only a normal amount of your 
surplus energy 

It is the added strain on \our 
nerves, the shock and jar of every 
step you take on city pavements and 
hardwood floors that u astes \ our 
strength, and leaves you tired out 





How to conserve 
your vitality 



Save your nervous system from 
this useless shock and strain. Re- 
place your nail-studded leather heels 
a-ith heels of New Live Rubber. 



Change city pavements 
to cushioned paths 



O SuUivanized shoes with Heels of 
New Live Rubber make city streets 
and hardwood floors feel like cush- 
ioned walks 

O Sullivan's Heels absorb the 
shocks that tend to wear you out. 
They give you a quiet elastic step 
and an easy youthful swing — a feel- 
mg of increased energy and "life." 

Get a pair of O'Sullivan's Heels to- 
day You'll be surprised what a dif- 
ference these little "shock absorbers" 
make. You'll feel more rested in the 
morning— fresher in the evening. 

O Sullivan's Heels are one of the 
most important modern devices for 
making life quieter, smoother, hap- 
When you buy your new shoes, 
buy them O'Sullivanized. Up-to- 
date shoe dealers now sell latest 
stvle shoes with O'Sullivan's Heels 
already attached. 

Insist on 0■Sulli^ 



he greate 



y Inbh 




The only flaw worth considering in this notable newspaper page advertisement, 
so far as its physical makeup is concerned, is the showing of the heel at the extreme 
lower right, and that fault leaves the heel as the last impression on the mind of the 
reader — which is the main object of the advertisement. 



CHAPTER V 

THE APPEAL OF THE DISPLAY 

WHEN the term "display" is used, it is to be 
taken to mean the whole physical advertise- 
ment, including form, size, illustration, dec- 
oration, typography, and the assembling and arrange- 
ment of all of these features. 

But if all of these details are considered in the most 
liberal spirit, and made to unite in an advertisement 
that is practically beyond criticism, there may not 
result an advertisement that will pull results. There 
are several other things to be considered, and it may 
be that their study will result in tearing the skilfully 
made and beautiful advertisement to pieces, and the 
construction of one which, on the proof sheet, may be 
only half as attractive. 

The physical advertisement must be adapted for 
the particular thing it is to do, the particular people 
it is to appeal to, and the particular environment in 
which it is to appear, as well as to the particular 
goods it is to sell. These four considerations are to 
be taken account of before it is possible to fix upon 
the style of the advertisement. 

65 



66 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

An advertisement may be for the purpose of selling 
goods or for the purpose of fixing the name of a 
commodity in the minds of the readers. If it is 
expected actually to sell goods — to produce orders — 
that is one thing. If it is to fix in the minds of 
readers some name or some fact, that is another thing. 
If it is to appeal to farmers, or machinists, or car- 
penters, or doctors, or lawyers, or literary people — 
or to any special class of people, or the people hving 
in any particular section, or to people having limited 
or unlimited incomes, or to religious people as against 
people not supposed to be religious — it must be 
fashioned with special reference to that considera- 
tion. If it is to appear in an art publication, a trade 
journal, a literary periodical, a story magazine, a 
newspaper read by English-speaking people or one 
read by Germans or some other class of people not 
native in the country where it is published, a weekly 
paper, a farm paper, or any specialized publication, 
it should be made with that fact in view. If it is not 
designed to occupy a magazine page, but is to take 
chances with one or several others on the same page, 
or if it is to be a small space in a newspaper, that is 
a fact that should have great influence with its de- 
signer. 

The nature of the goods advertised must be taken 
into account. This consideration is very important. 
The physical advertisement suggests, in a general 



THE APPEAL OF THE DISPLAY 67 

way, the goods. If it is designed to suggest the flow- 
ing lines and decorative nature of a lady's hat, for 
example, it should not be used to sell plows. And 
vice versa. This is an item that is often more 
honored in the breach than in the observance, and it 
is as certain as anything that here lies some of the 
fault that conduces to inefficient advertising. An 
advertisement that suggests a plow will not tempt a 
lady to buy a hat, no matter how skilfully worded. 
The first look at an advertisement produces a certain 
instinctive feeling for or against its motives. Deli- 
cate summer dress goods would hardly be advertised 
by black gothic type, heavy borders, and bold decora- 
tions. Rather would the thoughtful designer seek 
to suggest that sort of beauty that the dress goods 
itself suggests — graceful forms, flowing lines, delicate 
decorations, not too heavy type, and plenty of white 
space. 

There should be thrown about the advertisement 
something of the atmosphere of the thing advertised. 
This is of more importance than to make a piece 
that would approach a picture in its appeal. Yet it 
should be like a picture — a picture that suggests the 
thing that is advertised; a picture the general quality 
of which is in harmony with the general appearance 
of the advertised thing. The advertisement for a 
plow, for example, should be strong and symmetrical, 
with a picture of a newly plowed field, or a field upon 



SPJiING FICTION 



Clara Louise Bumham's 

INSTEAD OF THE THORN 

The story of a Chicago girl, brought up in luxury, whose father loses his 
fortune, apparently through a young business associate who is one of her 
admirers. How she leaves society for simple village life in Maine and is helped 
back by love and faith to skill and charm. With 

happiness is told by Mrs. J^^^^ frontispiece ia tint $1-2/ 

Buraham with her usual IT^^^^^w ^^^ 



William J. 

Hopkins* 

THOSE 

GILLESPIES 

The tangled k>ve af- 
fairs of five interesting 
Bostonians woven into 
a delightful and ab- 
sorbing story. Much 
of the whimsicality 
and charm which char- 
acterized Mr Hop- 
kins* " Gammer *• is to 
be found in this book. 
Illustrated by Lester 
C. Hornby. $1.35 net. 



JUST DAVID 

By Eleanor R Porter 

A uthor of " Pollyanna. ' ' ' 'Miss 

Billyy" ' 'Cms Currents, " etc, 

12 pictures, ti-3^ net 



Edward Nobfe't 

THEBOTTWE- 

FILLERS 

A vivid story of life 
at sea on a tdtmp 
steamer. "Such a reek 
stirs about it as flavors 
'Captains Coura. 
geous.'" Tke Country 
Centltman^ London: 
*' 1 1 is real sal t and spin- 
drift; the sea as the sea 
is when a living is be> 
Ing wrung from it." 

London Clpbt, 
1140 net 



Forrest ReidPs 

AT THE DOOR OF THE GATE 

** Certainly not since Eden Philjwtt's ' Whirlwind' has the religious ecstasy 
wrung out of despair itself been used with such tremendous effect, without sente 
mentality, without melodranta, with such terrible force."— Ad»«d« City Star, 
$1.35 net. 

Elsie Singmaster's 

EMMELINE 

"Many a scientific description of the battle of Gettysburg has been written 
which does not recreate as vividly as does this little story a portion of those 
events which made immortal the drowsy Pennsylvania village. . . . Miss Sing- 
master has written no story more exquisitelv wrought, more poignantly tou<;hing 
^^n i\i\s.^' — Boston Transcript. Illustrated. Ji.oonet. 



T^ 



BOSTON HOUGHTON MIFFUN COMPANY newyork 



A book advertisement with a decorative border and inharmonious display type. 



spring Fiction 



Clara Louise Burnham's 

Instead of the Thorn 

The story of a Chicago I'girl, brought up in luxury, wh(Jse father loses bis 
fortane, apparently • through a young business associate who is one of her 
admirers. How she leaves society for simple village life in Maine and is helped 
back by love and faith to skill and charm. With 

happiness is told by Mrs. ^^'^^^^ frontispiece in tint $1.25 

BursbaiD with her usual IJ^^^^^^ (>et* 



William J. 
Hopkins* 

Those^ 
Gill espies 

The tangled love af- 
f^rs of five interesting 
Bostonians woven into 
a delightful and ab- 
sorbing story. Much 
of the whimsicality 
and charm which char- 
acterized Mr. Hop- 
kins' " Clammer " is to 
he found in this book. 
Illustrated by^ Lester 
C. Hornby, f 1.35 net 



Just T>avid 

By Eleanor H. Porter 

Aiof.or 0/ 
-Polh-enKa." ~MU' /Ullj." 



Edward Noble's 

The 
Bottlefillers 

A vivid story of life 
at sea on- ^ tramp 
steamer. "Such a reek 
stirs about it as flavors 
'Captains Coura^ 
geous."' TTteCountrf 
Gentleman, London, 
"It is real salt and spin, 
drift; the sea as the sea 
is when a living is be- 
ing wrung from it" 

London Globe, 
$140 net. 



Forrest Reid*s 



At the Door of the Gate 

•• Certainly tiot since Eden Philpott's • Whirlwind' has the religious ecstasy 
wrung out o£ despair itself been used with such tremendous effect, without senti- 
mentality, without melodrama, with such terrible force."— Aa«^<» City Star. 
^•35 QCt. 

Elsie Singmaster's 

Emmeline 

*Many a scientific description of the battle of Gettysburg has been written 
vhich does not recreate as vividly as does this little story a portion of those 
events which made immortal the drowsy Pennsylvania village. . . . Miss Sing- 
naster has written no story more exquisitely wrought, more poignantly touching 
^iMX^^XiT-^ Boston Transcript. Illustrated- J i. 00 net. 



BOSTON HOUGHTON MIFHJN COMPANY new york 



The advertisement shown opposite with italic type substituted for the display- 
lines, but no other attempt to improve the display. This brings the display into 
harmony with the border, making the advertisement much more attractive. 



70 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

which there is a flourishing crop growing. The 
plow itself is not an interesting object. It is not 
attractive for an advertisement. It is better to 
show what results from the use of the plow. And the 
typography need not be black. It is better to have 
it just strong enough to avoid promoting a suggestion 
of weakness. Plowing is not an agreeable part of 
the work on a farm, and it is desirable to lead the 
mind to consider the results of plowing, which are 
agreeable and profitable. So of all other goods; 
they have an atmosphere all their own. In thinking 
of them the mind instinctively surrounds itself with a 
definite mental atmosphere. The atmosphere of the 
advertisement should harmonize with it. There is, 
I take it, a rhythm, a cadence, to thought — a, cer- 
tain length of vibration — and it seems important 
that the vibratory suggestion of the advertisement 
should synchronize with that of the thought of the 
thing advertised. 

This suggestion reads somewhat like a remark by a 
swami, or a tyro in psychology; but the idea is not so 
abstruse as is the language. We think, I believe, in 
straight lines, in rectangular masses, in ovals or 
circles, in wave lines, in curves, in decorative motives, 
or in figures, according to what we are thinking about. 
A thing of beauty prompts sensuous thoughts; and 
sensuous thoughts cannot be indicated by hard, 
square, severe forms. So if it is a thing of beauty 



THE APPEAL OF THE DISPLAY 71 

we are advertising it may be wise for us to try and 
mold the advertisement on lines that will produce 
sensuous feelings. And if we are advertising a piece 
of machinery, bricks for building, structural iron, 
cement or tiling, we should seek to avoid arousing a 
particular sense of beauty, but try to make the 
reader see strength and utility. If we are advertising 
a food it is the sense of taste we should try to arouse. 
Note the illustration of the Yuban coffee advertise- 
ment. It suggests a very agreeable drink, and that 
is all it does. This motive, elaborated through a 
long series of advertisements, brought this coffee 
from no sale at all to be the leading seller in the New 
York metropolitan district within two years. 

It is not infrequently that we see a very handsome 
advertisement so placed in a medium that it is of no 
attractive value. It is buried among others of like 
physical quality, and has no urge for the reader. So 
it is evident that an advertisement is not to be judged 
as it shows on a proof slip. It may be necessary to 
ignore or break some of the more important principles 
of art in order to make an advertisement that will 
have strong attraction among the other advertise- 
ments on the page with it. To do this we may 
achieve the distinction of producing the worst adver- 
tisement in the lot, as it shows on a proof slip. The 
effort that engages our earnest attention is to get an 
advertisement that will be noticed in the crowd, and 



For the Weary 
Wife and Mother 

after the Winter struggle 
with poor food and poor 
Service there is no boon like 
Shredded Wheat Biscuit. 
It is ready - cooked and 
ready-to-serve. The food 
that supplies all the strength- 
giving nutriment needed for 
a half d^s work. For 
breakfast with milk or 
cream; for luncheon with 
berries of other fresh fruits. 




Made at Niasiara FaUs« N.Y. 



This advertisement is made up to persuade the eye to neglect the text, which is 
itself not attractive and striking enough to win attention before the eye drops to 
the illustration, and so naturally on to the matter following the advertisement. , 




For the Weary 
Wife and Mother 

after the Winter struggle 
with poor food and poor 
service there is no boon like 
Shredded Wheat Biscuit. 
It is ready -cooked and 
ready-to-serve. The food 
that supplies all the strength- 
giving nutriment needed for 
a half day's work. For 
breakfast with milk or 
cream; for lunchecto with 
berries or other fresh fruits. 
Made sx ,Niafi:ara J^alls* N. Y. 

The advertisement shown on the opposite page rearranged to attract -attention 
by the illustration and toll the eye naturally to the text — ^an ordinary arrangement, 
but necessarily more effective than the other. 



74 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

read as well as noticed. The advertisement that is 
not read might better never have been made. 

It is not an easy matter. We do not know how a 
page is to look. The other advertisements may all 
be of the peculiar character our printer has made 
ours. How is one to know what will make an adver- 
tisement stand out in a page one does not know 
about? The only answer is, make your advertise- 
ment individually distinct. There are not two 
designers who will adopt the same motive, if both are 
really original and individual. If ordinary type ar- 
rangements are relied upon, or if particular type 
faces are chosen, it is likely that other designers will 
think of the same type faces, and similar arrange- 
ment of them, and so nullify your plan. There are a 
great number of ways in which a small advertise- 
ment may be made distinctive, without making it 
expensive, if one has the idea of type well in mind. 
It may be done through the use of illustration, decora- 
tion, or hand lettering. The latter is a dangerous 
expedient to try. There are so few good letterers 
that the chances would be many against getting a 
good effect in that way. 

The simpler devices are the most likely to give good 
results in this matter. An advertisement set in a 
series of type, and shaped in strict accord with the 
principles of display that are explained in a later 
chapter, is pretty certain to enjoy a certain distinc- 



THE APPEAL OF THE DISPLAY 75 

tion wherever it is placed. To such extremes has the 
art of advertising display been carried, and so gener- 
ously and completely have these tenets of graphic 
art been ignored, that simplicity and severe adher- 
ence to those tenets have come to create real distinc- 
tion. So large a proportion of the advertisements are 
devoid of real composition that that one which is 
composed properly shines out "like a good deed in a 
naughty world." 

It is not well to counsel reliance on the badness of 
competing advertisements, however. It is conceiv- 
able that there will come a time when all advertising 
will be better composed. Indeed, it is certain that 
the time is not far distant when a generous proportion 
of them will be so made. There will never come a 
time when individuality cannot be worked into the 
composition of advertisements. It is not a gift from 
the gods, nor is it something that can be stated 
on a printed page so clearly that he who reads may 
perform. It is the peculiar weakness of much of the 
advertising of the day that it appears to be composed 
I by persons who know little about type, illustrative 
I and decorative material. As a matter of fact, it 
: takes an artist to compose type just as truly as it 
\ takes an artist to draw a picture. The man who can 
make type talk is not found in every printing oflSce. 
This is because the study of type is not considered 
necessary for the printer. It is necessary for the 





It's easier to lift a load — much 
easier — with two strong arms 
than with one— and it's speedier 



Split the stress— divide the 
strain— and you more evenly 
distribute the load 

That's the way to do the task 
quicldy— and with the expendi- 
ture of less effort 

And that's just what we have 
done with the Packard motive 
power 

Two strong and nimble little 
arms now do the work which 
was done by one rather cumber^ 
some and heavy arm. 

We haw made twelve small 
cylinders do the work of six 
larger ones. 

It's six pairs of lively twm»— 
an light— 6turdy-6trong-ready 
for blatant and concerted action. 

The result is not only greater 



power— but truly wonderful 
smoothness and sprightliness. 

It's the Packard idea— this 
Twin Sue It is ours And all 
motordom knows that it's a 
wo-ld achievement 

Tme tested' Six thousand 
d^hghted owners emphasize the 
conspicuous success of the 
Twm Six idea. 

And this rthntd Packard sdb 
for $2750-$3150 and upward— 
io.b. Detroit 

You'll want a Packard now- 
more than ever before. See the 
Twin Six at Packard Motor Car 
Ownpany of Ne. .ork. 1861 
Broadway, or telephone for 
demonstration. Branches at 
Buffalo. Enc. Hartford. Spring 
fieM. Bndgeport. Newark and 
Brooklyn, 



Ask the man who owns one 



This advertisement is admirably displayed. It was a very agreeably noticeable 
feature in the big Sunday paper in which it appeared. There are faults that might 
be noted, but it is notable as an example of clever advertising designing, so far as 
the display and arrangement of the units is concerned. 



'^OODBOra© 



Lazier Six 



$2,775 



Without a doubt the Lo^Jer Six Is the finest eu built tor tovrlflf. Tbere irc huodredt of re»- 
sons why this is so, bui a fev are self-evident 

EUliaUIitr — The Lozier Is so well designed that tt wilt ^v< no trouble on th« rotd if tlven ordinary ear*. 
It rets "there and bagic" without poa^^ing. 

Strength — No car o< its weight is so stronc u the Loiier Tk0 fiaect metalt produced are u$<4 la 
its parts. 

Power — The famous Lozier motor — used ia BO ottier ctr— develops fully 6S horse power and is mora 
than adequate for all bills and roads. 

Speed .More tjian you cap safety u»e. The LozUr is built upos <^e txperievce (ained with t loB( 

line of famous racers. 

Economy — With friction reduced tp the absolute minitnum; with the Rayfleld Carturefor to tire yoa 

CIS- with the Eisemann Waterproof Magneto to yiv^ a hot sparic at all speeds and with the absence 

of all unnecessary weight, bat with our spring susperrsion aod full Tloativg^rear axle — the Lozlcr SU 

will do more miles to the gallon of gas and me less tirf s than »ny car o/ equal capacity 

Serrice — Guaranteed, definite, is given to every owner Free Service Boolp has lOO coupons, cacji 

good at any Lozifr Station In the country tor work on your car. Lozier service It an actual fact-~ 

pot a promise 

Immediate Delrrery — No waiting gr promises while the driving season slips iwty You CID hire your 

Lozier Six the day you buy. This is a fixed Lozier policy and part of onr service. 



When will you take your demonttrationT 

LOZIER MOTOR COMPANY 




This advertisement was clipped from the same newspaper as that opposite. It 
I is faulty where that is correct. The units are good, but are not properly assembled. 
I The optical effect is bad, and the illustration and text do not work together to induce 
attention to the argument. 



78 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

advertising designer who hopes to achieve results. 
If printers were obliged to take comprehensive 
courses in art before they were permitted to place 
one piece of type in a composing "stick/" there would 
be many more good printers than there are; and at 
least a fair proportion of them would be able ac- 
tually to compose a piece of typography, like an 
advertisement, instead of just setting the type, as 
most of them now do. 

Yet the plain variety of compositor, and the de- 
signer who is not also an artist, may produce adver- 
tisements that will at least have strong individuali- 
ties, if they consider where the advertisement in 
hand is to be placed. They can only take account 
of the fact that it is to be placed among others, if it 
is to go in a number of mediums. They can take 
account of the general appearance of small advertise- 
ments in all mediums. They are not diverse in 
style. They are all about the same, as to general 
style. The possible variants are many. Think how 
different an advertisement set all in italic type, of 
the same series, would look on almost any magazine 
page, or in almost any newspaper. It is not neces- 
sary to use the ordinary weak italic of the usual 
roman faces, but seek out one that is well designed, 
strong enough to give character to the advertisement, 
and use taste and judgment in the selection of sizes 
and masses. If there is much text, the straight 




OU never have to coax Mother 
to go to Best's— she's taken 
you there ever since you can 
remember^ just as Grand- 
J mother took her there. 

There was a httle Jerseyite 
whose mother never thought 
much about Best's until a 
birthday party showed that 
thirty-five well dressed, pat- 
terned - after • Mother little 
women were Best dressed. 

She was so crestfallen that 
hers wasn't a Best coat that 
Mother felt, sorry for her and 
told Father they just had to 
buy Best's clothes or else 
**get hold of some Best labels 
and sew them in!" 

(An actual occurrence.) 

Fith Avenue, West Sifie, Comer of Z5lh Street 



An example of a series of advertisements in which neither the name of the adver- 
tiser nor of the goods were displayed. There is so little text that the attractive deco- 
rative cut is relied upon to induce the reader to read the whole advertisement. An 
advertisement like this, placed among many that are excessively displayed, is a 
temptation to the reader that is hard to resist. It forms a cool and inviting optical 



80 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

matter must not go in italic. It does not read easily 
in masses. Make the display only in italic. 

This is just a suggestion. It is not necessary to in- 
terpret it too literally. Instead of italic type use some 
roman face, like the new Rugged Roman, the Pack- 
ard, or something that is not common. The shaded 
and outline letters may often be used to good ad- 
vantage. Study the type founders' sample books, 
and if your printer does not have the type you want, 
ask him to get it. It is better to pay for it than not 
to have it, if having it makes your advertisement 
enough different to get it read. 

The advertiser should be very particular to have 
his advertisement suited for the medium it is to 
appear in. It is a risky policy to make an adver- 
tisement and run it in a list of mediums. The copy 
as well as the physical advertisement should be 
attuned to the particular audience addressed. Much 
of the loss through duplication of circulation may be 
obviated if the advertisement is made especially 
for each medium. Even if the copy is not changed 
the form should be. These days, people take more 
than one magazine, or paper. If they see the same 
advertisement in different forms the chances are 
better for it. In one form it may not appeal to one 
reader while in another form it may attract him. 
Newspaper advertisers, especially department stores, 
adapt their copy to the different papers, but mostly 




li y^T^ pURING the next few weeks you will be putting up clean dra- 
P I ) I; peries and curtains for the fall and winter. Why not still further 
^'^^- ■ ■ ■■■ •' increase the charm of your home by brightening up your carpets? 

You can do this easily and successfully by using Ivory Soap. Its copious 
lather thoroughly removes the dust and dirt but, unlike ordinary soap, 
It is so pure and mild that it does not fade the colors or spoil the nap. 

Proceed as directed below and you will be able with very little effort and 
at trifling cost to make your floor coverings as attractive as when new. 

To Clean Carpett and Rugs 

Sweep thoroughly. Then beginning at the corner farthest from the door, scatter Ivory 
Soap Paste (see directions inside wrapper) over not more than a square yard at a time. 
Scrub vigorously with a stiff scrubbing brush. Scrape off the paste with a metal-edged 
ruler or a piece of zinc. Wipe thoroughly with a cloth wrung out of clean, lukewarm 
water. Work with — not against — the nap. Use water sparingly. 



IVORY SOAP. 



'T rtoMTS 



.99^^ PURE 



Fbdortn al Imyjalt. OMo. Port In 



X Oty. Kouoj; HcmOtai. (U 



m 



■1 



^^^^^^^^ 



:i,i:^.;^^>£;:::iu::^ 



During its whole history Ivory Soap has been advertised in a notably good fash- 
ion. This advertisement is pretty nearly 100 per cent, good, in all of its physical 
elements; and they are knitted closely into the copy motive. 




This advertisement evidently was planned for a very good thing. A great deal 
of work was put into it. But it is a bad advertisement because its decorative units 
are drawn to different scales, and the reader is not given a true idea of what they 
really look like. Being,contrasted with the building introduces another confusing 
optical element. 



82 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

as to the size. They make a number of units, and 
give them all to one paper while making selections 
for the others; so that, in a way, their copy is adapted 
to different classes of readers, though the copy and 
arrangement of the units is the same for all. 

It does not require radical departures from the 
usual styles to give an advertisement distinction. 
One department store, for example, uses Bodoni type 
for its display, with a complementary border, and 
gets a character all its own. Another uses all Old 
English and outline type, for display and text, and 
secures distinction, but not especially attractive ef- 
fects. There is no especial invitation to the reader, 
and no other good reason for being so different. 
Attention is secured, as the distinctive and unat- 
tractive typography gives the reader warning, and 
enables him to avoid reading the advertisement. 
It is essentially diflScult reading. The departure from 
normal type designs is so radical that the advertise- 
ment is not agreeable to the eye, especially as all the 
text is set in the shaded type. While it is desirable 
to work for distinction in display it should not be 
sought at the expense of optical comfort, because 
that defeats the purpose. The range of choice in 
type faces is rather narrow, as will be explained in 
another chapter. Effects should be sought through 
the handling of standard types rather than through 
the selection of unusual and odd types. These are 



PierceArrow 





^u^bfiable confidence 

ndes beside ^ manwbo 
drives or is driven in a 
Pierce 'Arrow Car 

The Pierce- Arrow Motor 
Car Company ^ffahJCt 




Very attractive, because so nearly correct in form and assembly of the units. 
Exquisite care for details, and perfect execution of the simple artistic elements, 
together with the inspiring gem of text, makes it a joy to contemplate. 



84 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

generally objectionable, because they call upon the 
reader to make some conscious effort to accommodate 
himself to a medium that is not familiar. He should 
be as nearly as possible unconscious of the typog- 
raphy when reading advertisements, in order that 
the message of the advertisement may get his un- 
divided attention. 

A careful study of this question of display, with 
special reference to the mediums to be used, the class 
of people to be appealed to, and the character of the 
goods to be advertised — rather than solely to get an 
advertisement that presents a satisfactory appear- 
ance in proof — will lead the advertising designer in 
the right direction to get the maximum returns, so 
far as the physical advertisement is concerned. The 
main points to be thought about are two: To get 
the pleased attention of the reader as a first requisite, 
and then to make it easy and agreeable for him to 
read the text of the advertisement — the argument 
that is to make a buyer of him, or of a sufficient pro- 
portion of the readers. 

Careful and thorough treatment of the advertise- 
ment at this stage of its evolution may be expected 
to materially increase its pulling power. There has 
been too much stress laid upon copy and not enough 
upon the physical advertisement, when the question 
of efficiency was up. The best possible copy does not 
get at the reader until he has been attracted by the 



THE APPEAL OF THE DISPLAY 85 

physical advertisement. As a salesman, the ad- 
vertisement has got to get inside a person's conscious- 
ness, just as the personal salesman has got to get into 
the possible buyer's office, and get his interested at- 
tention, before the argument of the copy can be 
brought to bear. Good copy is essential. There 
would be no use in getting a reader's interested 
attention unless there was to come immediately after 
it the convincing argument that would make of the 
reader a buyer. So it is of great importance that the 
designer of the advertisement considers that its fate 
depends upon his work. He is not to think of the 
copy, except to do the best he can to get readers to 
consider it after he has tolled them up to it. His job 
is to attract initial attention to the advertisement, 
through making it so attractive as to cause the 
reader to develop an interest in it leading to the 
actual reading of the text. 



CHAPTER VI 

"what has art got to do with advertising?" 

A FEW of the fundamental principles of art 
are of great use to the practical advertiser. 
They help him to make his advertising more 
attractive, and therefore more valuable. 

They apply to all advertisements, whether they 
are all typography or have illustrative or decorative 
features. They help to make typography attractive, 
and therefore readable. They make it possible for 
the designer to make his advertisement so attractive 
that it is an agreeable part of the newspaper page or 
the magazine. 

It is to be understood, and always remembered, 
that art is not something to be employed to further 
our esthetic natures alone. It has a very practical 
relation to business as well. The great sculptor, 
Rodin, says art is beauty, and beauty is the expres- 
sion of that which is best in man. The advertise- 
ment is an expression of our business lives. If it is as 
good as we are able to make it, it is to that extent 
artistic. But art is not a natural attribute of life. 
It is acquired. It is a part of education, even as are 



ART AND ADVERTISING 87 

mathematics, reading, writing, speech. It is used to 
supplement speech and writing, as a form of expres- 
sion. 

Next to writing and printing, art is the best ally 
of the advertiser; if he is able to appreciate its real 
nature and apply it in his work. But it is not neces- 
sary for the advertiser to be an artist to the extent 
of being able to paint or draw. He simply should 
know the few principles that must be made use of to 
make an advertisement agreeable to the eye, and thus 
induce attention and reading. Those principles may 
be stated as: 

Harmony, the relation of the units. 
Proportion, the relation of the dimensions. 
Balance, the relation of the positions. 
Symmetry, the relation of the contours, 
Tone, the relation of the color masses. 
Perspective, the relation of the distances. 
Color, the relation of the contrasts. 

Harmony in an advertisement consists not only in 
the proper relation of all of its parts, but also in the 
proper adjustment of its physical makeup with the 
nature of the business advertised and the literary 
motive of the copy — making the advertisement ex- 
press the idea of the advertiser. This idea of ex- 
pressing the business idea lies at the bottom of 
advertising success. Too much attention cannot 



88 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

well be given to it. An advertisement of plows 
should suggest plows in its every line and phase. 
If its physical nature is such as to suggest delicacy 
and refinement it will not put the mind of the reader 
into a condition to take in the plow idea. If this 
does not happen the advertisement is liable to be 
passed over by the reader, and its inefficiency built 
up. 

Let us consider, right here, that much of the in- 
efficiency of advertising is due to its failure to get 
initial attention from the people who read newspapers 
and magazines, and who ride in street cars, steam 
cars, and are otherwise brought in possible contact 
with advertising. It is that these art principles 
help to make advertising noticeably agreeable that we 
are concerned with them. 

Harmony includes, in some degree, everything that 
goes to the making of the advertisement. Does the 
typography contemplated, the illustration, the deco- 
ration, the size, the shape, the strength, the spacing, 
the position, all help to make the reader get the idea? 
It is not that the advertisement is a handsome thing 
in itself, but that it leads the mind of the reader in the 
right direction — gets him to thinking about the adver- 
tised thing in an agreeable way. Harmony will help 
to produce that result. Harmony means in adver- 
tising just what it means in music — an agreeable 
blending of tones. It is "the just adaptation of 




^X)l1MumJiamI^ 




A pamphlet cover that is graphic and descriptive and almost perfectly c^moosed. 
adapted but slightly from a photograph. 



ART AND ADVERTISING 89 

parts to each other in any system of combination of 
things, or in things intended to form a connected 
whole; such an agreement between the different 
parts of a design or composition as to produce unity 
of effect, or an esthetically pleasing whole/' It is 
that which gives "punch'' to an advertisement. 
"Punch" must mean that quality which pushes the 
advertisement furthest into the mind of the reader. 
It is often considered that punch means the same as 
shock; that if the advertisement can administer a 
shock, and make the reader "sit up and take notice,'* 
the great disideratum is accomplished. But it is not 
so. If the shock produces a disagreeable sensation 
the reader will put the advertisement out of his mind 
in the quickest and most thorough manner possible. 
The punch of an advertisement must be an agreeable 
punch, or it is worse than useless. Harmony shows 
us how to make the punch arouse an agreeable sensa- 
tion. 

The other art principles mentioned have reference 
wholly to the making of the advertisement agreeable 
to the eye, so that the mind may be opened to the 
suggestion of the catch line or the illustrative feature. 
Proportion tells us how to fix the shape of the adver- 
tisement. It is rather a simple matter. At the 
bottom of the question of shape lies the principle of 
the "Golden Section." Most advertisements are rec- 
tangular. The golden section simply specifies what 



90 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

are the right proportions of a rectangle used in ad- 
vertising or for any other optical purpose. It also 
fixes the form of an oval, the form of a cross, the loca- 
tion of the optical centre in a mass of display, etc. 
As a rectangle, the golden section is as 3:4.85; that 
is, it is a form that is three inches wide and 4.85 
inches high. These dimensions are right for the 
short and long diameters of an oval, and for the two 
pieces of a cross; and they apply to the lower portion 
and the upper portion of the long piece of a cross, 
and it is at the intersection of these diameters that 
the optical centre is found, (See pages 228 and 229.) 

There is no very satisfactory reason for this golden 
section to be given. It simply is agreeable to the 
eye. We do not have to concern ourselves further 
than that; and this phase of this topic will be further 
treated in the chapter on optics. 

Balance shows us how to place the parts of the 
advertisement as to their positions — to so arrange 
them that the centre of the weight of the advertise- 
ment shall be at the point of the optical centre — and 
to make the parts each balance the others, or some 
one of the others. This applies to weight and to 
form. The display lines should balance each other, 
and the masses of text should balance one with 
another. The eye dotes on order. This is never to 
be forgotten. If there are elements in the advertise- 
ment that do not balance with the general scheme, 




cArrows Lexicon 2\ 'i? 

Arrow Collars 

Because the Arrow fabric is f the difference between the 
extraordinarily fine, smooth ordinary and the high qual 
and durable, the domestic ity 2 for 25? collar, and is 
satin laundry finish is pos' the Arrows distinguishing 
sible.The satin finish marks I mark of quality. 

CLUETXPEABODY & C9Jnc„ Makes of Arrow Shkts 
Troy, N. Y. 



Features balanced and composed to form the advertisement into an agreeable 
picture, except that the illustration does not belong in its frame. See the illustra- 
tion on page 219. A touch would have made this right, as there shown. 



ART AND ADVERTISING 91 

and with the other elements, there is irritating optical 
discord, similar to the discord produced when a 
wrong note is struck on a piano. These details of 
balance are such as one does not consciously notice 
when looking at an advertisement. That which is 
noted is whether the advertisement is agreeable to 
the eye or not. If it is agreeable it is more liable to 
be read. If it is optically discordant it is more 
liable to be passed over by the eye, and become an 
item on the side of ineflSciency. 

Symmetry is obtained by the use of the right type, 
and by the likeness of the forms. If, for example, 
the type display lines are set all in lower case type, 
or all in capitals, symmetry is produced; while if 
some are set in lower case and some in capitals 
symmetry is destroyed. If one text mass is a rec- 
tangle and another is a pyramid, symmetry is pre- 
vented. If it is attempted to use a circle within the 
rectangular advertisement, and pains are not taken 
to reconcile the circle to its setting (as shown on page 
219 ) symmetry is not secured. The rectangle and the 
circle are so dissimilar that it is not possible to use 
them with good effect in conjunction unless the one 
is melted into the other by some artistic modification 
at the points of most evident contact. 

Tone is to be regarded somewhat as form. The 
masses of color (black and white) must have the 
right optical relations to each other, and in the mass 



92 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

the tone of the advertisement must be densest at the 
optical centre and spread evenly out to the extreme. 
There are limits beyond which the tone of the adver- 
tisement should not go, both as to extreme blackness 
and as to extreme lightness. There is a short span 
of grays within w^hich the eye loves to linger, and 
outside of which it seeks to shirk reading. An adver- 
tisement must be neither too dark nor too light, 
though it may be dark or light. It must not be light 
in one part and dark in another, except within the 
allowable limits. Tone is to be used also to make 
the advertisement agreeable to the eye when it 
first comes into focus. If there is too much white 
space, too much black ink; if the whites or the blacks 
are improperly massed, or if they do not help to 
focus the idea of the advertisement, the impression 
is not agreeable, and the eye does not notify the mind 
that here is something worth attention; and there 
is more of the lamented inefficiency of advertising to 
charge up as pure expense, without even small al- 
leviating circumstances. 

Perspective is only occasionally important, espe- 
cially in advertisements made mostly of type matter. 
But it is sometimes of so much importance that it 
may make or break the advertisement. It is simply 
the art of making the reader see objects represented 
on the plane surface of the advertisement as they 
would appear to his eyes if seen in reality. It is 



tfjQ soup of the eviQuye 



jjelicious soup- 
not or cold- 
er ike picnic 



Franco-American Consomme — celebrated for Quality, admired for its 
French flavor, "devoured" for splendid Food — fits the picnic program to a T 

Take it along with you in a vacuum bottle. Have it ice cold or bracing 
hot— as you will. Selea a soft and woodsy spot as your halting place. And 
settle down to a feast fit for the high gods of old Olympus. 

Afterwards you may dally with this fancy: "Out here among the trees 
and the rocks and the birds, far from the stufiy Kaunts of men, I have been 
attended by all the aits of cookery and invention. A French chef has waited 
upon me. I have partaken of a dish which told its delicious story of how the 
kin^ are fed. To have an appetite and such Food^— ah, that is to be alive!" 
Merely heal before tenin) 

ThiTty-fioe cenh the quart TiMnty teleetiont 

At the better iteret 



rf 



m 



Franco - 
American 
Soups 

aftcy tna yecipes of 



fbrmarly auperinigrxdeni of ike palact 
of H M.Kirx^ George of GKtece 

Let MS- ^{ve yo\JL a taste of oxir' quality" 



CTHE FRANCO -AMERICAN FOOD CO.,: 



Much pains was evidently taken with this series of advertisements to make them 
attractive, with a measure of success that might be much greater if the decorative- 
illustrative features had been placed to further the reader's desire to get the argu- 
ment. The rearrangement shown on the opposite page suggests some changes that 
help to make the whole piece more optically agreeable, and therefore a better ad- 
vertisement. 




^! 



soup of tRe Qpicwre 

^ rranco - 
American 
Soups 

after tfxe ^ 

■Yocipes of ^_^^^ 



OF PARIS 



fay^ncyfy superiniendeni of ihe 
pa face of Ti'MKin^ Geor^ of Greece 



Words cannot compete with taste. Nothing can advertise Franco- 
American Soups so well as — Franco-American Soups. Their quality 
"speaks" from every spoonful — announces that rare, fine touch of the 
culinary expert so prized by those with whom eating achieves the 
distinction of an Art. 

It would be something less than truth to dismiss the kitchens 
where these soups are made simply by calling them "model." In 
every detail, to be sure, they are modem, scrupulously sanitary, scien- 
tific. But visitors who come here detect more than this. One called 
it "Enthusiasm"; another, "Conscience." And a third said: "In the 
Franco- American vocabulary there \s no such word as 'Inferior' !" 



Thirty-five cents the quart 



Merely heat before serving 



At the better stores 



Twenty selections 



(jurnQxt-besf 
odVertisement 
is our kitchen 



'Lje.t -us gi\^e ■yo\x a taste, of oxiy equality 




This is not intended to be a perfect advertisement. The character or advertising 
value of the features are not questioned, merely their arrangement. There are 
a number of other things that might be done to make this a model advertisement. 
This arrangement of the main units of the series is manifestly better. 



ART AND ADVERTISING 93 

often used to make letters stand out from the paper, 
to show interiors of rooms, to show distances, etc. 
Skilfully used, it is often made to make an advertise- 
ment "stand out" on a page full of other advertise- 
ments, and so give special value, and help to over- 
come the inefficiency charged. 

Color is used in two senses — in relation to tints 
and in relation to tones. Color as tints is not what 
we have in mind. It is something not quite in line 
with this study, because we are thinking of the usual 
advertisement printed in black on white; and so have 
nothing to do with effects that are within reach of the 
printer or artist who is able to make use of more than 
one colored ink. And color as we must view it is very 
like tone, which we have considered. Color is largely 
out of the reach of the designer of advertising that 
is to be printed in newspapers or periodicals, because 
the matter of color is fixed in them by the exigency 
of inking the reading type matter. The advertisers 
have to take their chances. They may have pieces 
that require heavy color, but they do not get it. 
Therefore, it is necessary for the advertiser to work 
always with the inking facilities of publications in his 
mind. He will waste effort if he plans anything that 
requires special color treatment. And so the matter 
of color in advertisements comes down to knowing 
what not to attempt, rather than to what may be 
done if color can be controlled. For as long as there 



94 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

has been advertising there have been advertisers 
who tried to swamp readers with masses of color, 
produced by the use of big and heavy-faced type. 
The effort to attract attention by making the blackest 
advertisements has more or less been discredited, 
and may be said to be dying out — ^happily. Still, 
advertisers have recently learned that it is possible 
to make black advertisements that are also agreeable 
to the eye, because made in accordance with the 
other art principles we have been thinking about. 

These art principles that relate to the form of the 
piece, and the arrangement of the chief units of the 
composition, are tenets that are first considered by 
artists when they begin paintings or other examples 
of graphic art. They are necessary in advertising 
designing. If they are understood, and applied in 
the light of understanding, they may be of very great 
assistance. But whether they are understood or 
not they are vitally influential. An advertisement 
"looks right" in proportion as they are used in the 
right way. It never does look right except in pro- 
portion as they are rightly used. The designer who 
flatters himself that he is able to produce something 
that suits his taste without referring to these art 
principles is deluding himself. Consciously or un- 
consciously they come into the composition of every 
advertisement. 

The habit of making advertisements by experimen- 



ART AND ADVERTISING 95 

tation is very costly, and does not result satisfac- 
torily. The designer who knows his business lays 
out his advertisement upon right lines before it is 
given to a printer, and saves much expense. The 
rule-of -thumb way is to let a printer set the adver- 
tisement and then make many changes. The result 
never is satisfactory, and always is costly. 



CHAPTER VII 

WHAT IS ART ? 

^RT, in advertising, is a form of expression 
/-% Advertising speaks first to the eye, and its 
first form of expression must therefore be 
graphic — an appeal direct to the eye. 

If, it may be asked, the appeal is direct to the 
eye, why is it necessary to employ any form or 
symbol of art, or one having the qualities of art? Why 
not use any form that will attract the attention of 
the eye? 

This is often done. The attractive element of 
advertising is often something not related to art, 
that appeals to utilitarian motives or to a sense of 
humor. If the attractive feature of an advertisement 
be a handsaw, for example, it is in a definite sense art, 
inasmuch as it is an expression in a graphic manner of 
the main motive of the advertisement, and is in- 
tended to lodge in the mind of the reader the thought 
of a saw, to prepare him for the suggestion and the 
argument that is to follow. The saw is not related 
to art, as we have been accustomed to think of it; 
but its manner of use is artistic. 



WHAT IS ART ? 97 

This suggests exactly what we wish to think about 
in connection with art in advertising. 

In the International Dictionary there are seven 
definitions of the word "art" previous to that we 
usually associate with the word, and each of them 
fully justifies its use in advertising, as we wish here to 
claim that it should be used. Art is, says this great 
dictionary : 

Skill, dexterity, or the power of performing certain 
actions, acquired by experience, study, or observation; 
knack. 

Skill in the adaptation of things in the natural world to 
the uses of human life; human contrivance or ingenuity. 

A branch of learning; a science. 

Learning or the field of learning. 

The general principles of any branch of learning or of 
any developed craft. 

Systematic application of knowledge or skill in effecting 
a desired result. 

An organization of men practicing a craft or trade. 

Then comes the definition that is in the mind first 
when the word is used, but which ought to come last 
of all: 

Application of skill and taste to production according to 
esthetic principles; an occupation having to do with the 
theory or practice of taste in the expression of beauty in 
form, color, sound, speech, or movement. 



flu6fte((un9 
IDoderner 15un[f e 

©ta6tifcbcn IBunftgcmcrbe^nDuJcum 

1Draun[d)toei9 

5um C>eften 6c6 
ncugcgrun^ctcn ^unjttcrbcims 



Hrrangierf com 

15un[flerbun6 Dabeim 



Designed in Germany, where the better printing is regarded as graphic art, and is 
designed by the best artists. The flaw is in the imprint lines, which do not harmo- 
nixe with the controlling type formation. 



WHAT IS ART? 00 

We claim that this last-mentioned definition applies 
also and with equal force to the work of the designer 
of advertising. Art, it is claimed, is beauty; but 
utility has its beauty, not less vital and pleasurable 
than the esthetic beauty usually attributed as art. 
But beauty is, so it is also said, the expression of that 
which is best in man. 

There is no escape from the conclusion that art 
belongs as truly, and as rightfully, in advertising, 
and to the advertiser, as in any other phase of life or 
to any other worker. But advertisers may well 
concede all that the most devoted esthete may claim 
as the meaning and field of art, and yet justify the 
use of it, and the use of the word, in their work. 
It is rather the degree of efficiency attained through 
the use of art as expression that justifies our use of it 
in advertising. 

WTiile we are content to accept Rodin's definition 
of art as beauty, and beauty as the expression of the 
best in man, we know that to make good a claim for 
art in advertising it is necessary that we express the 
best that is in advertising — or, to put it more truly, it 
is necessary that we express in advertising the best 
that we conceive to be in life. 

It is only necessary, to get the right conception of 
what art is, to become convinced that its rightful 
place is in advertising, as well as in other phases of 
life. Art is one of the best tools available to adver- 



100 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

tisers; not because it is art, but because it is one of 
the most ancient of all the modes of expression man 
has made use of to promote civilization. 

We do not know when art came into human life, 
but we do know that it was born in the extreme 
infancy of the race, and that it was born because men 
had need of a more permanent and far-reaching form 
of expression than speech and gesture. Back in the 
dim vistas of prehistoric times the first art symbol 
was devised to enable primitive man to express his 
good will toward his fellows. Graphic art was born 
then. The first symbol then devised is woven into 
our life now. It has been used by all the peoples of 
the world who were advanced enough to use any 
symbols for any purpose. It is the foundation of 
graphic art now, as it always has been; and graphic 
art is the mother of all art. 

This symbol came into the world in answer to the 
necessity for expression, and it is the necessity for 
expression that has been the spur of all progress 
since the world began. It is that necessity which 
brought advertising into the world, and keeps it in 
the world. 

Whoever, in the pride of his independence, denies 
that art is the essential fundamental of advertising 
design reckons without knowledge. It is only neces- 
sary to get a clear idea of what art is to understand 
the fallacy of denying its use and necessity in adver- 



ofince 1657 

Qtarles 6-<^dbes&G)mpanJ^ 
fidbe j^ouq/it and jold alli& 
Sest watc/ies made in Sotn^ 
(Surope and cJmertca ti^^^ 
, ^^£ls yearTDe arejvrtunate 
injSeiny i/ie eXckisibe agents 
forCy^udemars^iguet &Cb., 
i^en^a, cJioit^^erland, man" 
vfdcturers of a ZoatciL tKat 
is now ^nnion to jSe as near 
a perfect time £eeperasa 
watc£ can jSe niade''S^.^^ 
^^W/ien in our store, as^ 
tesee and. ^rioe explained 
toSytfds remar£a£le time- 
piece differs fronz any ot^r 
zoatc& — ^ ^"^ 



up' 




lXiceJ?om4l50P 



Hand-lettered advertisement by-Carl S. Junge, Chicago 

Clever lettering, but a poor advertisement. It is not easily and quickly read, 
because there are no highlights of display — it is too much of a monotone, the swashes 
of the lettering have not sufficient room either to make their effect apparent or to 
relieve contiguous Unes of their influence. 



102 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

tising. It is only necessary to understand that all 
of the principles of art, in its esthetic meanings, have 
been evolved to make the path to the appreciation 
of the mind easier. 

Art is not a special factor for the lives of those with 
money, leisure, and knowledge. It is not a quality 
in life in which only a few can participate. It is a 
universal quality, with universal capacity and power. 
No person can escape art if he would, and every per- 
son may take of art all that he can assimilate. If we 
were to attempt to bar art from advertising we would 
not be able even to print the plain text of the most 
arid advertisement that ever was written. We can- 
not escape from art if we would. That being true, 
it is the part of wisdom to admit that art is a vital 
element in advertising, and so employ it as to get 
from it the utmost that it can give. 

It is for the advertising designer to prove to the 
world that art is not a belonging of the educated, the 
refined, the privileged, but that it is something that 
is in life for the benefit of everybody. Those artists 
who are able to employ art in the creation of great 
pictures, sculptures, cathedrals, or the dainty medal- 
lions, miniatures, carvings, jewels, etc., are the privi- 
leged ones who interpret the higher language of art. 
But that which makes art is a capacity for growth, 
in execution or appreciation. The gardener who does 
a good piece of work on a lawn is an artist to the 



WHAT IS ART ? 108 

extent that he improves with the repetitions of his 
task. If he, after working ten years, cannot make 
a better lawn than when he began he is not an 
artist. That advertising man who can make a better 
advertisement after having been at it a time is an 
artist. 

Art is in life, of Kfe — is life. It is not a special 
quality of life in which only the born elect, the trained 
elect, may participate as creators. It is that impulse 
in life which impels us toward better things. It is 
not an attribute of sophistication, though sophistica- 
tion helps develop it. Art in life is almost coincident 
with life. 

If the advertising man can bring himself to sweep 
from his mind all of the preconceived notions about 
art that he has, and adopt the view here set 
forth, he will be able not only better to appreciate 
the great works of art, but he will realize that there 
is at his service a great power that will enable him to 
put immense efficiency into the work that he turns 
out. 

The advertising man should become a rabid icono- 
clast in this matter of art. He must discard about all 
he has ever learned about art. Yet it is a curious 
and interesting fact that the great teachers of art 
take much the same attitude we are trying here to 
define. They do not assume that art is a divinely 
granted privilege to the few. They practically agree 




Here is an advertisement that appeared in many magazines, engraved, and spe- 
cially printed, supposedly to give an air of richness to the announcement consonant 
with the rich exclusiveness of the car advertised. The effect is not what the adver- 
tiser wished. It gives the impression of striving for a certain effect, and failing to 
get it. The piece is poorly designed throughout. 



The 

Locomobile Company 

of America 



*An7tounces 



t 



A SERIES of Six Cylinder Cars, fashion- q) 

AA ably low in appearance, quickly re- ^ 

sponsive to power demands, sweet- ^ 

running, and restful. ^ 

^Locomobile Coach Work equips the £9 

perfected Chassis with a beautiful body, in- ^ 

dividual in detail, and finish, and of any ^ 

desired style. ^ 

<^These luxurious cars are expensive, but ^ 

having the finest materials and workman- ^ 

ship, are undeniably superior, and being c^ 

produced in small quantities, are exclusive. £9 

kN^'Vp on exhibitio7i at ^ 

Sixty-first Street next to Broadway ^ 

This is the same advertisement shown on the opposite page, set for the use of 
newspapers. It is nothing to boast about, as a piece of typography, but is vastly 
better as an advertisement than the engraved insert used in the magazines. It 
appears to advertise the fioret used under the headlines, but is brief enough to 
tempt many readers. Compared with the other more pretentious and more 
costly advertisement, this one shines out "like a good deed in a naughty world." 



106 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

that it is aspiration — a certain appreciation of beauty 
and a resolve to attain toward it. 

But let no one imagine that to be an artist, even 
in this extremely restricted sense, nothing in the way 
of study and training is necessary. Nothing in the 
world comes to him who sits and waits — despite the 
saying that everything comes to him who waits. 
"They also serve who only stand and wait.'' Yes, 
but those who only stand and wait are not themselves 
served. To appreciate art in any line requires study. 
One cannot understand or appreciate music unless 
he knows something of the fundamentals of music — 
understands, perhaps, the makeup of an orchestra, 
and is able to listen at will to the first violins, the 
French horns, the wood-wind instruments, the cor- 
nets, or any instrument or class of instruments; or 
knows the technique of a painting. So the adver- 
tising man who hopes to profit by what art has to 
teach him must prepare himself by delving into the 
technique of art. There is no book about art to 
which he can refer — and it is a pity that there is not. 
The way to the knowledge that helps is through many 
books, and but a crumb in each, it may be. The 
consoling thought is that it is worth while. For 
every item of practical knowledge there are many 
that help in general culture; and general culture 
always is available for the practical uses of the adver- 
tising man. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE ALL-TYPE ADVERTISEMENT 

THE advertisement which consists of all typog- 
raphy, without illustration, decoration, or 
border, is at once the simplest and the 
most diflScult to make. It is simple, and easily 
made, if attention is not also given to making it 
( attractive. 

The use of illustration, or illustrative decoration, 
or border, is often taken to atone for very poor type 
treatment, with the result that there are two opposing 
motives, the decorative and the shabby typography, 
the one negativing the other, and this fight between 
the two making the advertisement of little value. 
Without illustration or decoration the man who can 
make type talk has his innings. 

To get good results with type alone, special atten- 
tion must be given to outlines, proportion of white 
to black, type faces, type masses and forms, display 
lines, the ''catch" line, the proportions of the adver- 
tisement, and the elements of balance, symmetry, 
and tone. The effort all the time must be, we must 
not for a moment forget to make a composition that 

107 



108 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

will first attract attention, then make a distinct and 
pleasing suggestion, and then present the selling 
argument with all the force possible. The object 
of advertising is to sell goods, not to produce pretty 
pictures. The making of a picture, however, is the 
first step in the endeavor to get the attention of 
readers to the advertisement. This must not be 
forgotten, either. The task is different when we are 
deprived of the illustration and the decorations, but 
not at all difficult or impossible. 

In the use of type for advertising purposes it is 
essential that the designer shall know something 
vital and comprehensive about it. He should, for 
example, know the history of type and printing, 
and be able to understand what part printing has 
played in the history of civilization, and what part 
it is now playing in every development of life. It is 
the greatest tool of progress. The manner of its 
use fixes the rate of progress we are able to make, 
and the quality of progress. In business it is fun- 
damental, the prime necessity. Without it there 
could, in this age, be no business, as there could be 
no civilization worthy of the name. 

Type has been evolved out of the necessities for 
expression and records. It is a radically different 
thing than it was when Gutenberg cast his first font 
of letters. But its individual character merged into 
a fixed style very early in the history of English 



THE ALL-TYPE ADVERTISEMENT 109 

printing. Because it is language in primary form it 
was necessary that type assume a permanent form. 
Its use could be varied, must be flexible, but itself 
must be fixed in characteristics, in order that it 
might become such a basis for expression as would 
give free play to individualism, and would be as 
serviceable to one generation as to another. Type 
is like speech : while we vary speech from generation 
to generation, so far as its applications are concerned, 
and in shadings of meanings, we use the same words 
that were used after the Spencerian fashions in 
spelling had merged into the modern methods. So 
it is, in a sense, with type. When the fashion of 
imitating the lettering of the scriveners, who wrote 
all the books by hand, in a gothic letter, were dis- 
carded for the Roman style of letter, the general 
(characteristics of type were fixed. Jenson began to 
make English type, though he was a Frenchman work- 
ing in Venice. His work has persisted to this day, 
and out of it has come the basic type design that bids 
fair to persist as long as type is used. 

This matter of the invention and development of 
printing is one of the most fascinating of studies, 
^and unless the designer is well up in it he will miss 
some of the facility in the use of type that he should 
have. It is important that he be able, through his 
knowledge of type, the use of type, and the history 
Jof printing, to visualize his design before he attempts 



110 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

to study its units. If a man cannot see the adver- 
tisement upon the screen of his imagination, it is 
useless to expect that he will be able to create a 
design that will make a producing advertisement. 
If he can thus visualize the design that he knows is 
appropriate for the copy in hand, he will find his 
problem of construction a reasonably simple and 
direct one. 

Inasmuch as the application of art forms to adver- 
tising, the nature and capacities of type, and the 
analysis of copy, are topics treated in chapters fur- 
ther on in the book, we are going here to assume that 
the copy has been duly analyzed and its special 
requirements in display recognized. The copy re- 
quires, let us assume, a reasonably strong treatment. 
It is to be used in newspapers. The space has been 
fixed by the advertising manager. There are to be ^ 
no illustrations, no decorations, no border. It is a 
question of straight typography; and as it is to ap- 
pear with many other advertisements, taking the 
"run of the paper,'' it is vital that it have a distinct 
character of its own. The space allotted permits of 
using a double column advertisement, 7 inches deep. 
This assures a proportion that is about right — 
nearly what is known as a "golden section.'' The 
quantity of copy, as well as the nature of the goods 
advertised, permits of strong treatment. But there 
are many strong advertisements in the newspapers. 



Your friends can buy 
anything you can give 
them— 
except your photograph* 



There'' s a photographer in your tonjun. 
Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester^ N. Y. 



This is one of the best advertisements produced by the Kodak people, who have 
produced many very clever and effective ones. It looks simple, and almost casual, 
but it shows a very acute sense of artistic values in the handling of an extremely 
simple motive. 



112 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

so something must be done to give this one a distinc- 
tion the others do not have — make it stand out on 
the newspaper page. 

There are several ways in which this necessary 
distinction may be obtained. The first one to think 
about is to make it so much nearer perfection in all 
of its features as to give it a distinction — the distinc- 
tion of finish, harmony, appropriateness, such as is 
noted in connection with what we think of as a well- 
groomed man or woman. This does not require an 
original or remarkable design, but does require a 
design perfectly fitted to the advertising motive, 
which can be exactly worked out with the type ma- 
terial available. If we take this course it is essential 
that we use ordinary material, but not in an ordinary 
manner. Take the Century Expanded type — a face 
found in almost all newspaper advertising composing 
rooms, and harmonious with the usual type used for 
newspaper reading matter. There are six faces in 
this series, and small sizes of the normal are fitted for 
the body matter. With those six faces for display 
there is a very wide choice for the designer, and with 
the normal size, the condensed, and the expanded 
there is opportunity to get the display and the 
masses of copy into forms that balance and compose 
symmetrically. 

Because most advertisements are set with the 
Roman type for the display, our man may think it 



THE ALD-TYPE ADVERTISEMENT 113 

better to use italic for his catch line, the chief display- 
line, and the firm name; or for the catch line and the 
signature, thus cutting off h's advertisement from 
those before and following — fencing in his display. 
If the catch line consists of one word, and seems a 
trifle too short or too weak, a wave rule may be put 
around it — despite the fact that we agreed to use no 
decorative effects. But we are likely to find that 
type will be sufficient, especially if we have the 
courage to use a large size. Not too large size should 
be used for the catch line; the very emphatic type must 
be reserved for the display lines that lead the reader 
to entertain the buying idea. The catch line is 
usually isolated. It follows the signature of the 
preceding advertisement, and precedes the display 
features of its own. It has its own Uttle place, and 
needs rather to be unique than especially large or 
heavy. The words composing the catch line should 
themselves be unique, and have a decided display 
quality. This is more than half of the battle of the 
type. Types cannot convey literary distinction, 
though they can do much to mitigate literary dull- 
ness. But the designer has no choice. The copy 
for the catch line may be unique or not — he has to 
get his distinctive catch line in either case. It is the 
key to his composition, and the indicator of the pro- 
ductiveness of the advertisement. 

The display lines and the catch line should be 



114 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

considered the framework of the advertisement, and 
the masses of the text set to complete the structure, 
as the walls of the house support and enclose the 
distinctive architectura features. They should be 
set first, and put on the "galley" where they can be 
seen, and the necessities for the text matter estimated. 
The designer follows the course of the good printer, 
making his display lines on his layout the length 
and height they are in type, and placing them where 
he wants them. He is then able to select the type 
for the next, and balance his piece as he wishes it to 
appear. It is no job for an amateur or apprentice to 
select these chief lines of an advertisement. They 
have got to be much more than display lines, if the 
advertisement is to attract attention and bring re- 
sults. It is essential that they form an optical 
sequence, leading from the catch line to the signature; 
and they ou^ht to tell much of the story of the adver- 
tisement. If one of them is set in lower-case type 
and another in capitals, there is an optical break 
that the advertiser cannot afford to have happen. 
People are accustomed to follow a thing through. 
No writer would think of breaking into his theme in 
the centre and switching on to another radically 
different. We would not be greatly moved by, or in- 
terested in, an essay that began to treat upon a literary 
subject but abruptly changed in the middle to a 
discussion of the mathematics of chess moves. The 



Have you arranged to be present at 
THE HARDWARE CLUB 

Postal Telegraph Building, Broadway ^ Murray 
Street^ on Monday Evening, January 24th ^ at the 
General Meeting of Printers of New York City? 

The speakers will touch on organization, price 
conditions, labor, etc E. Lawrence Fell, of 
Philadelphia, will he one of the speakers, the 
others being printers of New York. 

The dinner which will precede the meeting will 
be served promptly at 6.30 P M. The meeting 
proper will begin ai 8 P M. This will permit 

I your dining at home if you prefer that, and you 
are cordially invited to attend in either case. 

If you have not returned the postcard sent you 
do so at oncc^ and m case you cannot be at the 
dinner, but will be at the meeting, please so 
indicate on card^ 

GfiOR.GBW. GREEN G FREDERICK KALKHOPP 
CHARLES FRANCIS EDWIN FLOWER 
f RBDERICK ALFRED JOHN OLYDE OSWALD 

Thinner Cwnmsttee 
Graphic Art6 Association, 344 West 38th Street^ New York City 



An example of exaggerated symmetry, which was not after all carried to its logical 
development. The second and fourth paragraphs should have been closed by full 
lines. The italic line near the bottom violates the plan. It is too much of a mono- 
tone. This style of typography is much favored by a small class of men who have 
become interested in advertising through being artists. It is taught in some of 
the commercial schools that have advertising classes. It is not eflfective, purely as 
advertising. As typography for certain purposes it is admirable. 



116 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

optical sense must not be wrenched from one motive 
to another, but coaxed on by the consistent develop- 
ment of the motive that has attracted the attention 
to the particular advertisement. 

This is the reason also for the use of series of type. 
The motive has been set by the first line, and must 
be developed through to the end, if it is hoped to 
allure the reader by optical ease — that harmony 
which is such a powerful attractive force when we 
are using our eyes. 

The display lines all fashioned, it remains to adjust 
the text matter. It must be made easy reading, and 
more than that. Easy reading is not always agree- 
able reading. But in addition to being made easy 
and agreeable reading the text must be made into 
such forms and masses as tend to complete the picture 
begun by the display lines. The masses must bal- 
ance. Their forms must contribute something es- 
sential to the general picture the advertisement 
must make. One sees many advertisements that are 
well handled as to the display features but very 
weakly and distressingly handled as to text matter; 
and usually one can see that it need not have been so. 
It is better not to try to make the text contribute to 
the display, even to the extent of using an initial 
letter. The plain type matter is to convince the 
reader, and get his order. The display is for the 
purpose of attracting his attention and making a 



THE ALIr-TYPE ADVERTISEMENT 117 

suggestion to him. The argument is in the text. 
That the reader wishes to read in a sane manner. 
He does not wish to have the type whisper, bluster, 
roar, screech, and purr like a pet cat all in the same 
advertisement. He will stand for a shrill whistle 
or a bluff hello in the catch line, to get his attention, 
a hearty suggestion in the display lines; then he 
wants to read the argument or he does not, and 
either way he does not wish the party addressing 
him to sing the story, nor yet to roar it. 

So let it be as nearly straight reading matter as 
possible, and let the reading matter be arranged to 
please the eye while its Uterary quality is getting his 
mind filled with its message. Let there be no dis- 
cords to irritate him. The masses of type between 
the display lines should balance. Their several 
masses should contribute to the symmetry of the 
piece. This does not mean that they must be set 
according to the German idea of balance, where one 
form must be balanced by another form of like 
dimensions and contour; though something like that 
is to be desired. If the reading is all to be set the 
same measure, either the full length of the line or 
indented equally on both ends, the problem is settled, 
so far as balance is concerned, except as to the weight 
of the masses. If there are to be several measures 
used for the reading matter, one measure ought to 
balance another mass set in the same measure. 



118 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

"Order," it is said, *'is nature's first law/' It surely 
is one of the important laws of type display — or 
arrangement. It is a sin to have an advertisement 
go out with a disorderly type arrangement, and that 
so many do is what makes advertising ineflScient, 
in part. 

In setting, or planning, a typographical advertise- 
ment it is well to have in mind that the rectangle 
is the best form. There are those who continue to 
try ovals and circles, and other odd shapes, but they 
do not endure. Finally, the shrewd and successful 
advertisers come down to the basis that it is better 
to heed the teachings of art and optics than to at- 
tempt to establish new and strange shapes. The 
oval and the circle cannot be accommodated upon 
the page of magazine or newspaper. Pages are 
rectilinear, and the feat of squaring the circle is no 
easier in advertising designing than in mathematics. 
If a circle or oval must be used, it must be adjusted 
to its square inclosure by decorative devices, or some 
slight typographic features, relieving the corners of 
the form. This is not easy to do with type, and is 
distinctly not worth while. Better to work in 
rectangles. In handling type masses themselves, 
there are but few outlines allowable — the square, the 
pyramid (in normal and inverted position and 
doubled by using both positions), the diamond form 
(rarely), and various modifications that do not get 



4 



1 

4 



The 

PAPER HOUSE 




OF 



New England 



A Newly Established Business 

Institution in the Heart 

of the Paper Industry 



m 



The?A?EK House of New England 

SPRINGFIELD 

19 14 




Tbe PAPER House of New England 

All in one face of type, and could not be more attractive if several had been used. 



120 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

far away from the standards. It is better to try 
and bring the type masses within the sphere of the 
proportions of the golden section. That is, if there 
are but two or three lines of type in a feature of the 
text, it is better to so far indent it as to make its 
outline conform to the golden section proportions. 
This will come clearly to the front later, but it may 
here be mentioned that the dimensions of the golden 
section, or rectangle, are approximately 3 to 4.85. 
A clearer definition is that the base of the figure 
should be about one half the distance from one 
upper angle to the opposite lower angle. In fact, 
this golden section is the basis of all the dimensions 
of the most agreeable rectangular advertisement — 
of its outline, of its features, of its decoration, if one 
is used, o its spaces, of each of its grand divisions — 
and it fixes some of its other features that will be 
taken up in a later chapter. 

All this seems somewhat formidable, as we go 
over this chapter, dealing with so simple a thing as 
an advertisement made all of type. It is not, when 
it is taken in its proper spirit. It is all second 
nature to the designer who knows type. The great 
trouble is that so many advertising designers think 
it of little consequence to know type and the print- 
ing processes. One of them said to me the other 
week that he did not "know a thing about print- 
ing," though he was the typographic expert of the 




Money of her own paid for 
this girl's musical education 

Her name is Miss Marjorie Chambers. A few weeks 
ago she wrote this note to us from her home In Canada: 

"I want to pay for my own music lessons. And, still 
more, I want the feeling of being able to do something 
for myself. Can you help me ? " 

We explained how she could earn as mucn money as 
she needed by asking her friends and neighbors to give 
her their subscriptions for The Ladies' Home Joumaly 
The Saturday Evening Post and The Country Gentleman. 

It took her only a few days to earn J30.00 in cash. 

If you would like to earn some money to help pay for 
your education, we will make you the same oflFer we 
made Miss Chambers. The address is 

Educational Division, Box 498 

The Curtis Publishing Company, Philadeilphia, Pa. 



It is probable that the Curtis Company takes as much pains with its own ad 
vertising as any concern, and it handles more advertising for clients than any other 
single publisher. Its advertising is always strong in human-interest copy, and re- 
strained in design. 



THE ALL-TYPE ADVERTISEMENT 121 

concern, and his desk was piled with designs and 
sketches. When he got an advertisement or book- 
let to turn out he called in some printer and began 
a series of costly and useless experiments, for which 
his client had the pleasure of paying. 



CHAPTER IX 

TYPE 

THE designer of advertisements should under- 
stand a few facts about type. One essential 
fact is that an advertisement is intended to 
be read, and must, therefore, be made readable. 

There are hundreds of designs of type, but there 
are scarcely a dozen that need be considered by 
advertisement designers. There are two general 
classes of type — the Oldstyle and the Modern. 
These are both Roman in origin and in principle of 
design. The Oldstyle type is better adapted for use 
upon certain papers, and for certain purposes. The 
Modern type is, in its turn, better adapted for use 
upon paper of a general description, and for certain 
work. 

The type used in printing this book is one of the 
variants of the classic style of Modern faced type — 
Scotch Roman. It is more formal and precise in its 
contours than is the Oldstyle, and is, therefore, 
better adapted for some work than is the Oldstyle. 
The latter face has a more gracious design. It was 
originated soon after the black letter of the early 

122 



! TYPE 123 

printers was found to be unsuited for printed matter 
for general circulation, and its designers were not 
willing to eliminate all of the grace of the older letter. 
The characters are not designed to uniform scale. 
Some letters are expanded and some are contracted. 
It has various characteristics that are not found in 
Modern type faces, and which give it a certain charm 
and grace all its own. The Modern face is regular in 
design, and the letters are drawn to scale. Its 
( contours are either straight lines or curves, in ap- 
propriate relations. It is more formal in general 
characteristics than the Oldstyle, and is, therefore, 
j more appropriate for formal work, such as law 
I books, scientific works, school books, and advertise- 
j ments that are to be printed on finished paper. 
I Oldstyle type was designed when there was no 
^ finished paper used for printing, except writing paper; 
and that was hard rather than finished. Allowance 
I was therefore made for enlargement of the face of the 
letter by printing on soft paper. Until in the 
neighborhood of fifty years ago much of the printing 
was done on paper that was soft finished and that was 
wetted before putting it through the press. The 
type was heavily impressed into the paper, and the 
sheets were afterward dry-pressed, to smooth out 
the impression. This process left the print showing a 
greater area of inked surface than the area of the 
face of the type. This explains why Oldstyle type 



vn 



STATE AGAINST COMMONWEALTH 



Germans, so far as we can judge, find 
in us the very faults which Plato found 
in the Athenians 

There is a story of a German resident 
in London who said he would never go 
back to a coimtry where he was not al- 
lowed to jump off a moving bus. That 
is a story we English really appreciate, 
for we think of Germany as a coimtry 
where daily life is plagued by rules and 
prohibitions. Our recruiting sergeants 
who threaten us, not with the German 
soldier, but with the German police- 
man, unconsciously echo that strange 
but wonderful appeal of Nicias to the 
Athenians, and find, as he did, that 
men are prepared to fight for a country 
that leaves them alone. We submit in 
this present hour of need to discipline 
and elaborate organization and to a 
more or less despotic government; but 
we do not pretend that we Like these 
things or that they are to us anything 
but a deplorable necessity. To the 
German, complete subordination of all 
private mterests to the organization of 
the state for war is not a painful neces- 
sity but the glory of the nation. When 
the German philosophers tell us that 
freedom consists in obedience to the 
state, they are not being willfully para- 
doxical, but are saying what they really 
think. They are prepared to explain 
the superiority of this German freedom 
to the anarchical misconception of lib- 
erty which prevails in other countries. 
They look with scorn at a country 
which lets the queerest people alone, 
which tolerates militant suffragettes 
and syndicalists and Ulster conspira- 
tors, and in India and Egypt answers 
sedition by offering reforms. No self- 
respecting government would show 
such weakness if it could help it; as 
England does show it, it follows that 
she is thoroughly decadent and negli- 
gible. 

Differences of national temper of 
this kind have, of course, their histori- 



cal explanation. Sparta had once been 
the seat of culture and art; but the 
Spartans were a small minority holding 
down a large subject population, and 
threatened by hostile neighbors They 
survived a momentous crisis in their 
history by adopting the rigid discipline 
which distmguished them from all oth- 
er Greeks. But though they achieved 
imity among themselves, they sought, 
not to reconcile their subjects, but to 
terronzethem. Their unbending policy 
perpetuated the dangers which their 
disciplme had enabled them to meet, 
and fear, the fear of their subjects, was 
the mamsprmg of their policy The 
history of Prussia, though more com- 
plex, has been m some ways similar 
The founders of Prussia were a con- 
quermg minority, and hardness and dis- 
ciplme alone enabled them to do their 
work. When the conflict between the 
ideals of Athens and of Sparta was b&> 
ing fought out m Germany, the unity 
of Germany had to be achieved in the 
face of hostile neighbors. There was no 
lack of liberal thought in Germany. 
The earlier German political theorists, 
such as Kant and Von Humboldt, were 
sturdy mdividualists. Germany might 
have been united on a liberal and dem- 
ocratic basis, but the process would 
have been a long one. What liberalism 
might have done, Prussianism did- 
Prussian ideals were triumphant over 
external difficulties, and in consequence 
equally triumphant at home. By their 
treatment of France in and after 1871, 
the Germans elected to be feared rath- 
er than to be loved by their neighbors 
and thus to perpetuate their own need 
of Prussianism. It is curious how per- 
sistently modem Germans accuse them- 
selves of a fault which other nations 
would never dream of imputing to 
them, — excessive individualism. This 
complaint expresses their sense of the 
inadequacy of liberalism to the German 
situation. Prussia united Germany* 






A page from the Atlantic Monthly, set in the special type that was designed for it 
— Modern face, but with slight leanings toward some of the characteristics of the 
Oldstyle. 



CURRENT COMMENT 
Labor and Preparedness 



IN a recent number of The Century 
the author of "The Working-man m 
War-time" pointed out that the disaffec- 
tion and revolt of organized labor m Erig- 
land had already "weakened England's 
position in the war by a grave restriction 
in the normal output of mines and fac- 
tories." And he predicted that if labor's 
"patriotic attitude, its willingness to send 
its men to the armies that must be re- 
cruited, should turn into indifference and 
aversion, it may prevent the ultimate vic- 
tory toward which England looks." 

In America such indifference and aver- 
«ion have already come. The United 
Mine-workers of America, for instance, 
has four hundred thousand members in 
the United States and Canada. Its con- 
stitution provides that "members of the 
Boy Scout Movement shall not be eligible 
for jnembership" in the union, and mem- 
bership in the militia is similarly tabooed, 
although, for obvious reasons, the consti- 
tution does not publicly provide against it 

Why does this "aversion and indiffer- 
ence" to military service exist among the 
coial-mincrs of America ? A committee of 
the last (the 63d) Congress investigated 
the recent strike of the United Mine- 
workers in Colorado. Concerning the 
conduct of the militia m that strike the 
committee reported: 

It seemed the militia was on the side of the 
(otine) operators in this controversy, and 
^ evidene« seems conclusively to prove 
«uch to have been the case. . . Defense- 
lew women and children did not escape the 
brutality of some of the members of this 
inilitary organization. . . . Some of the mi- 
litiamen seized the opportunity, while clothed 
'with the authority of the state, to engage 
in various lawless acts. ... In other in- 
"Mtnces the acts were of an immoral kind 
-And of such a nature as to be unfit for pub- 
lication in this j^eport. 

' TTie final report of the National Com- 
CQiasion on Industrial Relatiooi contains a 



section headed "Denial of Justice " It 
begins 

No testimony presented to the Commis- 
sion has left a deeper impression than the 
evidence that there exists among the work- 
ers an almost universal conviction that they, 
both as individuals and as a class, are de- 
nied justice in the enactment, adjudication 
and administration of the law, that the very 
instruments of dcmocrac>- are often used to 
oppress them and to place obstacles in the 
way of their movement toward economic, in- 
dustrial and political freedom and justice. 

The militia is one of the most powerful 
of those instruments of democracy for the 
administration of the law. And the re- 
port of the commission gives a mass of evi- 
dence, collected from all parts of the coun- 
try, to show that, as in Colorado, the busi- 
ness interests that are in control of state 
governments have used the military pow- 
ers of the States to break strikes and op- 
press the strikers, in many cases, as the 
report says, by suspending "the entire sys- 
tem of civil government" and setting up 
"in its place a military despotism under 
so-called martial law." 

The English working-man ts open in hi« 
"determination not to endure conscription, 
though the country is split m the process 
or the war is won or lost," says the author 
of "The Working-man m War-time." The 
American unionist is equally determined 
in his opposition to our whole campaign 
of military preparedness, for he is afraid 
that the increased military |)ower will be 
used to defeat him in his struggle for in- 
dustrial liberty. The success of Germany 
in the war has admittedly been due in 
large part to the loyalty and efficiency of 
the German working-man, who has been 
protected from industrial exploitation in 
times of peace by wise laws wisely admin^ 
istered. It seems obvious that such law* 
will have to be passed in this country, and 
so administered, as the first step to anjr 
campaign of preparednen here, 

315 



A page from the Century Magazine, set in Caslon, on the linotype. It cmphasixcs 
he weakness of the Oldstyle when it is used on finished paper, and given too much 
pacing and leading. 



126 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

produces a weak impression on hard-finished paper, 
and why it is generally stipulated by good designers 
that Oldstyle type shall be used on soft papers and 
Modern on hard papers. This rule is not now so 
absolute as it was a few years ago, because the type 
founders have begun to make Oldstyle type with 
heavier hair lines, suitable for use on hard paper. 

Modern type faces were designed for use on hard- 
finished papers, and have lines and areas of solids 
adequate to produce the requisite color in printed 
matter. 

It follows from these facts that the wise designer 
of advertisements will think first of Oldstyle type for 
his typography if it is to be used in the newspapers, 
and of Modern faced type if it is to go in magazines 
and weeklies. The wisdom of this is not impeached, 
but verified, by the fact that most of the magazines 
are printed on Oldstyle type, and many of the news- 
papers on Modern. If the student of typography 
is suflBciently interested carefully to compare a maga- 
zine printed on Oldstyle type, as the Century y with 
one printed on Modern type, as the Atlantic Monthly^ 
he will note the excellencies of the latter as con- 
trasted with the weaknesses of the former. The 
Century is printed on Caslon type, and it is liberally 
leaded — conditions favorable to this comparison, be- 
cause the Caslon has the most accentuated peculiari- 
ties of the original Oldstyle, and they are exaggerated 



1 



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Direct Importers of Eastern Rugs 

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wm:i 



m. 



A very good example of the excellent effect to be obtained through using a series 
of type coupled with harmonious border and illustration. 



TYPE 127 

by the wide leading of the lines. The Atlantic type 
is a special face developed by the publishers for that 
periodical for the special purpose of getting a read- 
able page. These examples are shown for the purpose 
of emphasizing the distinction between Oldstyle and 
Modern types, and to enforce the distinction that 
always should be made in their use. The Atlantic 
page is the most readable magazine page among 
those we continually see, made so not wholly because 
of the design of the type, but because it is well set, 
properly spaced and leaded, evidently with the intent 
to produce an optically agreeable page for the com- 
fort of the reader and the ultimate advantage of that 
magazine. 

Mention has been made of Oldstyle faces recently 
designed to obviate the limitations of the faces that 
follow the original designs. There are several of 
these faces now, though but one of them is what may 
be classed as conventional. The others have charac- 
teristics that have been borrowed from display type, 
and limit their use to work that is to be given some 
display atmosphere. This face is the Century Old- 
style.* 

In the selection of type for advertising use care 
should be taken to have the display and body type 
of the same general character. It is better not to 

*A11 references to specific types refer to the definitions found in the 
specimen book of the American Type Fomiders Company. 



128 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

use Oldstyle body type with Modern display lines, 
or vice versa. This is not an inflexible rule. There 
are occasions when it is necessary to use Oldstyle 
italic, for example, in display with Modern Roman 
lines, to get the necessary tone or harmony; and the 
use of Oldstyle for text with Modern display lines is 
sometimes not only allowable but necessary. Gen- 
erally, however, it will be found better to use the 
same face of type for the whole advertisement. 

From these two general classes of type, the Old- 
style and the Modern, there have been derived 
many variants for use in display. And based upon 
them there have been designed many styles of dis- 
play type. There is a great variety of display type 
that owes little of its motive to either of these 
standards; though there is much less of this class of 
display type now than there was a few years ago. 
Type not directly based upon one of these standards 
is undesirable for use in modern advertising, and is 
not shown with the samples of display type, and is 
not advised by the author, with a very few excep- 
tions. The so-called Gothic type may be used spar- 
ingly and with discretion. A generation ago it was 
profusely used, not only for advertising, but for all 
kinds of printing, and it was much admired by 
printers. It has declined because it is not in harmony 
with the few and definite motives that have become 
established in type design. It may be said that 



JOB USTTESL 



PLAIN JOB LETTER. 

ANTIQUE— Pica 

ANTIQUE CONDENSED-Eca 

AHTMIIE EITRA CONDENSEIHto 
.^Lio^rzQLJjbJ hi XTn> 

,A.imQ,TJE ESZTOD 

OLD STYLE ANTIQUE— Long Primer 

TITLK— I<oiig Prlnaer 

TITLE CONDENSED— Long Primer 

TIXUE EXXENOEO 

GOTHIC-Pica 

GOTHIC CONOENSED-Pica 

oiiiicEinucinDU!;!])— rid 

GOTHIC EXT'D-BREVIER 

mMMiiSEIHZlElflliGPItm 

CONDENSED-English 
LIGHTFACE 

UGHTFAOE EXTENDED 

UGHTFACE CELTIC-BREVIER 
CIABENDON—Small Pica 

fSSKCH CLABSNDON— Lon0 Ftlaisr 

RDNIC-Pica 

RUNIC EXTENDED— Long Primer 

^nyrcfverf Italic— Zon^ ^*ritner 

CUHFEICIIIDEISIHIOUPIIHEI 

BOLDFACE ITALIC^J^ca 

DOBIC-2 lane Nonp. 



rA«B¥ S&B fiflTViPR. 



FSE&SJiMIEiiF&EJJB 



Monastic — ^Gf^at Primei^ 

COIlSnSEO MOI4STlC-IUTtl\ 

BliOADO-J^XJOB 8BA1UBO 

«tfffV6Mri4iv-#yM 

ST^L^CTITE~FJst 

PEAKED-Greal Primer 



Bimmei GtnieiseA 



Tbe foOowin; are sUgir of t&e T»rie((ei «f I^p* 
csllad 



These were the standard display types of a generation ago, taken from a book in 
which the best phases of printing as it then existed were shown. 



130 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

wherever the Gothic type is used with tolerable 
good effect in advertising some one of the direct 
variants of the established classes might have been 
used to better advantage. There are many faces 
of display type that may be used with tolerably 
good effect by skilled typographers, but none of 
them is essential in a list of type faces that are 
necessary. They have had their brief day, and now 
that they are found to be unessential we may bid 
them farewell without regret. 

The reason for this elimination of all of what may, 
without disrespect, be called "freak" designs of 
type is one that is not of our making, and that cannot 
safely be ignored. As is attempted to be shown 
in the chapter on optics, the eye of man has been 
formed by the circumstances amid which it has had 
to work. It was in the beginning adapted to the 
forms and colors of nature. It has always favored 
those forms that have been derived from nature. 
The contours of the Roman types are conventional- 
ized from the contours in nature that our eyes were 
originally devised to cope with. In addition to that 
natural power, our eyes have been constantly adjust- 
ing themselves to the use of the Roman form of type; 
the eyes, that is, of the Anglo-Saxon and Latin 
races. The eyes of the Teutonic races have, on the 
contrary, clung to the Germanic form of letter, which 
is the real Gothic letter; and the eyes of other races. 



TYPE ISl 

as the Arabic, the Russian, the Turkish, etc., have 
been adjusting themselves to their own peculiar 
forms of type. It will be only a question of years, 
or generations, when the Roman form of letter will 
dominate printing in all lands. The Germans are 
swinging to it rapidly. But the fact that different 
races use different letter forms for their printed 
language serves to prove and emphasize the sugges- 
tion that the eyes of men go through such evolu- 
tionary changes as are necessary to make of them the 
most eflScient organs of sight. Our eyes have been 
for many generations, ever since the time of the elder 
Caslon, in fact, trying to get accustomed to the 
Roman types we are now using. To accomphsh 
this they have been adjusted in a phys cal sense, 
and their powers have been definitely increase;d or 
lessened, in minute particulars, to enable us to 
absorb the pages of books and newspapers printed 
in this type. It is now nothing less than a physical 
offense to ask our eyes to take account of anything 
in the way of type that is outside the group of fami- 
lies that have sprung from the original Oldstyle or the 
original Modern faced type. 

There is no occasion for inventing strange types. 
There are more varieties that may truthfully claim 
direct descent from the two ancestors of the race of 
legitimate type faces than any designer will ever be 
able to employ, if he Uves to be a century old, and 




andsomeMosswood 



It bids fair to be 
your be^ ^te 

Mosswood will not turn you 
into a walking collar advertise- 
ment It simply marks you as 
one of the very well dressed. 

For Mosswood is one of diose 
rare collars which attracts favorable 
•ttcntion through its very lack of 
obtrusiveness. 

Any man whose favorite height is 
a 2K inch collar will find Mosswood 
becoming In large numbers, mea 
of normal or longish faces are find- 
ing Mosswood their iesf style. 

Doubtless you will wiih to ,»ec 
Mosswood at your deer's. 

^^Collars 

57ie be^ Style is your Style 



The secondary display line here should have been one full line, like the line under 
the signature, and the text all should have been in the same type as the first four 
lines, without spaces between the paragraphs. 



TYPE 13S 

has more business than all designers combined now 
have. The only reason for going outside the legiti- 
mate lines of type would be the paucity of the de- 
signer's invention, or the rare exceptional emergency. 
We do see, now and then, a piece of advertising done 
in type for which there is no good excuse, and we are 
persuaded that it has an excuse for being. But the 
more we see of it the less it impresses us, until at 
the last we realize that it is truly the discredited 
supposed exception that proves the soundness of the 
rule. There is in this matter nothing arbitrary, 
except the arbitrary nature of our eyes and our 
education in art. It is futile for advertisers to try 
to kick against these pricks. It is worse than futile, 
it is an economic offense, a mistake that is certain to 
prove costly for the advertiser who is paying the bills. 
Those " families'' of type that come within the 
limits here suggested are shown, by sample lines, on 
the succeeding pages. These samples are, in a general 
way, quite comprehensive. The sample books of 
type foundries would show some faces that are en- 
titled to be called original, and different from these. 
They show a great many styles which might be sub- 
stituted for some that are here shown, and designers 
have the privilege of substituting them if they find 
it convenient to do so. It is not contended, either, 
that good display cannot be produced by the use of 
some of the display types that do not belong to 



1S4 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

either of the great series mentioned. Good display 
can be produced by the use of those types which this 
writer beheves are to be counted as outside the pale. 
But a display made with a type face that challenges 
the eye along unfamiliar lines must be a great deal 
better than one made with the types that are accept- 
able to the eye, if the same degree of efficiency is to 
be expected of the advertisement. Given equal 
effort, and equal design, it is not to be doubted that 
the standard type designs will yield greater efficiency 
in advertising. There must be some margin allowed 
for the adjustment the eye must make, and there is 
always the danger that the unusual type will be re- 
jected without even a conscious impulse. 

It is not unusual to find a designer who seeks to 
get novel effects by hunting through type specimen 
books for type that is not much used, and then fall- 
ing into the error that what is unusual must therefore 
be attractive. Where the eye is concerned, this is a 
great fallacy. There is nothing the eye abhors more 
than novel effects that it is called upon to take cog- 
nizance of. All the years of the history of mankind 
the eye has been cultivating conservatism. It never 
seeks novelties. It resists them, and has to be given 
time to accustom itself to them before it will have 
anything to do with them. The advertisement 
that is set in a novel type gets a certain amount of 
attention, but much of it is unfavorable. It is al- 



TYPE 135 

ways to be borne in mind that people are not agreed 
as to unusual things. While all people instinctively 
approve of those types that are derived from the old 
and stabilized stocks, there can scarcely be found six 
people who w^ould express the same measure of ap- 
preciation of any one of a long list of type faces that 
are not so derived. 

The argument for the conservatively designed type 
is, therefore, not an argument which is based solely 
upon the real merits of the type, as they might be 
assessed by a jury of artists, but upon the disposition 
and capacity of the normal average eye to accept 
them. Broadly speaking, that which the normal 
educated eye is willing to accept, in type or any other 
graphic form, is also that which will stand the test 
of its art authenticity; but this is not entirely true 
as to many common forms that have many diversi- 
ties, such as type. In the last analysis, using the 
ungrammatical shibboleth of the Linotype Company, 
"Type is made to read." Type is made to be read, 
let us more correctly assume, and not to be considered 
as an art medium, or as capable of forming objects of 
art. Therefore, we are indifferent to it if it is not 
able to form its units into legible and agreeable 
reading matter. We exact nothing of art in text 
matter further than legibility in the nth power. It 
is the mistake of many advertising designers that 
they try to make an object of art rather than an 



136 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

easy-to-read piece of information. If one is drawn 
to an advertisement solely to admire it as a piece of 
graphic art he is quite apt to neglect to take in its 
advertising message. In our progressive apprecia- 
tion of paintings we are almost certain to retreat 
from any thought of the literary motive of the 
picture, its story, even more rapidly and confidently 
than we have advanced in appreciation of the strictly 
artistic qualities. We exclaim about the coloring, 
the drawing, the atmosphere, the wonderful composi- 
tion, etc., but do not enthuse over the child-mother 
shown, the dying gladiator, the battle scene, the 
sunset, or whatever may be the diaphanous motive 
for the work. A painting called "A Portrait of a 
Lady'' arouses in us no curiosity as to the identity, 
history, life, trials, virtues, sins, of the woman 
portrayed; but we, if we are artistic, critically esti- 
mate those qualities that have been put into the 
picture in the way of craftsmanship. 

It is the literary motive, the "story," of the adver- 
tisement that we want to get into the minds of the 
readers thereof, and it behooves us not to make such 
a work of art as to induce readers to assume the 
artistic attitude with reference to it. Rather must 
we study assiduously to make the art of the adver- 
tisement so unassertive, so to run along the lines of 
habit and average ability to grasp and assimilate, 
that it will never be noticed at all — ^as art. If we 



TYPE 137 

earnestly seek to do this we will not trifle with forms 
of type that are unusual, or that cannot be connoted 
in their design with the broad principles of design 
followed in the families of types that are here 
shown. 

The following pages of specimens of type suitable 
for use for advertising purposes have been prepared 
by the Mergenthaler Linotype Company especially 
for use in this book. 



LINOTYPE BODONI 



6 Pt. Bodoni with Itauc 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrslnvwxy 123 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy 123 

8 Pt. Bodoni with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmno 123 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmno 123 

10 Pt. Bodoni with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefghijk 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijk 123 

12 Pt. Bodoni with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefgh 123 
ABCDEF abcdefgh 123 

14 Pt. Bodoni with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdef 123 
ABCDEF abcdef 123 

18 Pt. Bodoni 

ABCD abcde 123 

24 Pt. Bodoni 

ABCDEFGH 
abcdefgh 123 

30 Pt. Bodoni 

ABCDEFG 
abcdef 123 

36 Pt. Bodoni 

ABCDEF 
abed 123 



6 Pt, Bodoni Book, Italic and Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrs 1234567890 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrs vbcoefgrtj 

8 Pt. Bodoni Book, Italic and Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl vbcdefgr 

10 Pt. Bodoni Book, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefghi 1234567 
ABCDEF abcdefghi vbcdefg 

12 Pt. Bodoni Book, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdef 123456 
ABCDEF abcdef vbcdef 

14 Pt. Bodoni Book, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcde 12345 
ABCDEF abcde vbcde 

18 Pt. Bodoni Book 

ABCD abcdef 123 



6 Pt. Bodoni Bold with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrsta 123 

ABCDEF abcdef ghijklmnopqrstu 123 

8 Pt. Bodoni Bold with Italic 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklm 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklm 123 

10 Pt. Bodoni Bold with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefghij 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghij 123 

12 Pt. Bodoni Bold with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefg 123 
ABCDEF abcdefg 123 

14 Pt. Bodoni Bold with Italic 

ABCDEF abed 123 
ABCDEF abed 123 



LINOTYPE CHELTENHAM 



6 Pt. Chelt. Bold, Chelt. Bold Italic 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 1234567890 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 1234S67890 

8 Pt. Chelt. Bold, Chelt. Bold Italic 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklm 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklm 123 

10 Pt. Chelt. Bold, Chelt. Bold Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefgh 123 
ABCDEF abcdefgh 123 

12 Pt. Chelt. Bold, Chelt. Bold Italic 

ABCDEF abcdef 123 
ABCDEF abcdef 123 

14 Pt. Chelt. Bold, Chelt. Bold Italic 

ABCDEF abed 12 
ABCDEF abed 12 

18 Pt. Cheltenham Bold 

ABCD abed 123 

24 Pt. Cheltenham Bold 

ABCDEFGI 
abcdef 123 

30 Pt. Cheltenham Bold 

ABCDEF 

abode 1 23 

36 Pt. Cheltenham Bold 

ABCDE 

abed 12 



8 Pt. Chelt. Bold Cond. with Italic 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrst 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnopqrst 123 

10 Pt. Chelt. Bold Cond. with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefghijkimn 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkimn 123 

12 Pt. Chelt. Bold Cond. with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdef ghijk 123 
ABCDEF ahcdef ghijk 123 

14 Pt. Chelt. Bold Cond. with Italic 

ABCDEF abcdefg 123 
ABCDEF abcdefg 123 

18 Pt. Chelt. Bold Cond. 

ABCD abcdefg 123 

12 Pt. Chelt. Bold Extra Cond. 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmnop 123 

14 Pt. Chelt. Bold Extra Cond. 

ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 1234 

IB Pt. Chelt. Bold Extra Cond. 



ABCDEF abcdefgh 123 

24 Pt. Chelt. Bold Extra Cond. 

ABCD abcdefg 123 

30 Pt. Chelt. Bold Extra Cond. 

ABC abode 123 

18 Pt. Cheltenham Condensed 

ABCD abcdefg 123 

24 Pt. Cheltenham Condense* 

ABC abcde 1 23 



LINOTYPE TITLE No. 5 AND ELZEVIR No. 2 



12 Pt. Title No. 5 with Title Italic No. 6 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMI 
ABCDEFGHIJKLMI 
abcdefghijkl 1234567 
ahcdefghijkl 1234567 

14 Pt. Title No. 5 with No. 7 Italic 

ABCDEFGHIJKL 

ABCDEFGHIJKL 
abcdefghijklm 123 
abcdefghijklm 123 

18 Pt. Title No. 5 

ABCDEFGHIJ? 

abcdefghijk 123 

24 Pt. Title No. 5 

ABCDEFI 
abcdef 123 

30 Pt. Title No. 5 

ABCDEF 
abcde 123 

86 Pt. Title No. 5 

ABCD 
abed 12 



10 Pt. Uniline with 12 Pt. Elzevir No. 2 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPI 
ABCDEFOHIJKLMNOPI 
abcdefghijklmnop 123456 
abcdefghijklmnop 123456 

More worthy pens than 
mine have described that 
scene : the pulpit standing 

More worthy pens than 
mine have described that 
scene: the pulpit standing 

18 Pt. Elzevir No. 2 

ABCDEFGHIJKLS I 
abcdefghijklm 123 

24 Pt. Elzevir No. 2 

ABCDEFGHJ 
abcdcfgh 123 

30 Pt. Elzevir No. 2 

ABCDEFG 
abcdef 123 

36 Pt. Elzevir No. 2 

ABCDEF 
abcdef 12 



LINOTYPE CHELTENHAM, CENTURY EXPANDED 
AND BENEDICTINE 



8 Pt. Cheltenham, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklm 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghijJilm VBCDEFGR 

9 Pt. Cheltenham, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefghijk 1234567 
ABCDEF abcdefghijk VBCDEFG 

10 Pt. Cheltenham, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefg 1234567 
ABCDEF abcdefg VBCDEFG 

11 Pt. Cheltenham, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefg 123456 
ABCDEF abcdefg vbcdef 

12 Pt. Cheltenham, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcde 123456 
ABCDEF abcde VBCDEF 

14 Pt. Cheltenham, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abode 1 23 
ABCDEF abcde vbc 

20 Pt. Cheltenham 

ABC abcde 1 23 



6 Pt. Chelt. Wide with Chelt. Bold 
ABCDEF abcdefghijk! 1234567890 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 1234567890 
8 Pt. Chelt. Wide with Chelt. Bold 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn 123 
10 Pt. Chelt. Wide with Chelt. Bold 

ABCDEF abcdefghij 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghij 123 

12 Pt. Chelt. Wide with Chelt. Bold 

ABCDEF abcdefg 123 
ABCDEF abcdefg 123 

14 Pt. Chelt. Wide with Chelt. Bold 

ABCDEF abcde 1 2 
ABCDEF abcde 12 



8 Pt. Benedictine, Italic and Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghij 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghij VBCDEFGR 
10 Pt. Benedictine, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefgh 12345 
ABCDEF abcdefgh VBCDE 

12 Pt. Benedictine, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdcf 1234 
ABCDEF abcdef VBCD 

14 Pt. Benedictine, Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abed 123 
ABCDEF abed VBC 

18 Pt. Benedictine 

ABCD abcde 123 

6 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn 1234567890 
ABCDEF abcdefsrhijkimn 1234567890 

7 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 
ABCDEF abcdefghij 1234567890 
ABCDEF abcdefghij 1234567890 

8 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 

ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn 123 

9 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 

ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 123 

10 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 

ABCDEF abcdefghij 123 
ABCDEF abcdefghij 123 

12 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 

ABCDEF abcdefg 123 
ABCDEF abcdefg 123 

14 Pt. Century Exp. with Century Bold 

ABCDEF abcde 12 
ABCDEF abcde 12 

18 Pt. Century Expanded 

ABCD abcde 123 



LINOTYPE CASLON AND OLD STYLE No. 7 



7 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmn VBCDErcR 

8 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl vbcdefgr 

9 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefghi 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghi VBCDEFGR 

10 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefgh 1234567 
ABCDEF abcdefgh vbcdefg 

11 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdef 12345 
ABCDEF abcdef vbcde 

12 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abed 12345 
ABCDEF abed VBCDE 

14 Pt. Caslon with Italic and Small Caps 

ABCDEF abc 1234 
ABCDEF abcYBCD 



6 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmno 1234567890 
ABCDEF abcdefghijklmno vbcdefgrtj 

8 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl 123456789 
ABCDEF abcdefghijkl vbcdefgrt 

9 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefghij 12345678 
ABCDEF abcdefghij vbcdefgr 

10 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefgh 1234567 
ABCDEF abcdefgh vbcdefg 

11 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcdefg 123456 
ABCDEF abcdefg vbcdef 

12 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 

ABCDEF abcde 123456 
ABCDEF abcde vbcdef 

14 Pt. Old Style No. 7, Italic & Small Caps 

ABCDEF abed 1234 
ABCDEF abed vbcd 



Specimens of Linotype Advertising Figure Work 



CHIC LITTLE AUTO BONNET.— Made of 
black silk Seal Plush with border of white 
silk Seal Plush and trimmed with (1*0 QQ 
black plush buttons. Price «p^.t/0 

$2 BUSTER SUIT. — Of good quality 
fancy woven Worsted, in dark red or 
brown. Russian blouse has military 
collar trimmed with gray silk QQ^ 
braid. Price */OC 

CHOCOLATE SET.— Consisting of a 
chocolate pot, cream pitcher, sugar 
bowl and tray. All four dJfT /JpT 
are Rogers* best. Price. . fD I #00 

REPELLENT CLOTH.— Three 

full pieces of 54-in. Repellent 
Cloth in brown, red and green, 
suitable for all kinds of fancy 
coats and suits. For (^^ ^Q 
today only. Price. tDX^i*/ 



GO-CARTS.— Reclining 
baby go-carts, of best wood 
wheels. Gray d^pT rTK 
only. Price. . fi^Dm i D 

FANCY SILK.— One 
lot yard-wide Silks, in 
soft Tafifeta; ^Qg^ 
tomorrow, at I OC/ 

TABLE SET.— Exquisite 
Embroidered Set 
for Table. Com- 
plete. Price 



$9 



CHAPTER X 

THE ILLUSTRATED ADVERTISEMENT 

TIME was, and not so many years ago, when 
the real illustration for advertisements was 
not very common — nor very good. Now it is 
both common and good. Probably the greatest 
successes in advertising have been made with the 
help of the clever illustrative artist. Few advertisers 
are, however, content with an illustration that is not 
also a decoration. 

The illustration that illustrates plays the double 
role of attractive and suggestive features, and needs 
only the good argument to complete the advertise- 
ment. So enamored of this artistic feature did many 
advertisers become, after it had been developed by 
the commercial artists, that there was a great vogue 
for the advertisement without argument — relying 
wholly upon the suggestion of the illustration. 
Some advertisers still cling to that style, but those 
whose products need the argument have relegated the 
illustration to its proper place, and are making strong 
arguments to take effect after the reader has been at- 
tracted by the picture, and has received its suggestion. 

143 



144 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

There are two chief classes of illustrations: That 
which pictures the thing advertised, and that which 
illustrates the thought of the advertiser. There are 
many things advertised which cannot be pictured, 
but there are few things that cannot be advertised 
through picturing the thought of the advertiser. It 
is often possible to make a picture showing what an 
advertised article can be made to do, a condition 
it will bring about, a benefit it will confer, or an 
economy it may be expected to further. These 
suggested ameliorations of conditions are often better 
subjects for the illustration than the thing itself. 
Coal, for example, does not make a very attractive 
picture, but what coal accomplishes in the economy 
of the home or the factory may be utilized with 
telling effect by the advertiser who studies his job. 
A man's collar, by itself, is not a very attractive 
thing; but placed on the neck of a husky young man, 
and adorned with a stylish cravat, it becomes a pic- 
ture that makes the man reader realize to what an 
extent he really needs collars. 

It is the task of the commercial artist not only to 
show the thing to be sold, but to show it in such 
agreeable connection as to make it a part of a picture 
that will win attention as a picture, while insinuating 
the buying motive along with it. It is not necessary 
to say that there are hundreds of pictures used with 
advertising which do not help their selling quality. 




■■Ililpli«il«^^^^ 

h the Gas Truck the Economic Equal 
of the Electric in City and Suburb? 

City and cuburb is the key to that question. We grant, at once, its rightfui 
field to the gas trudu As weD deny the gas pleasure car's fitness to make 
Ibng runs and few stops as to argue against the gas truck in its logical field. 



But think of the gas tnick on short hauls 
with many stops^ 

Does the chaufTeur stop his engine while 
tite gas struck waits for the traffic man's 
signal? 

The electric truck consumes no J)ower 
except when moving. 

And when the traffic man gives the sig- 
nal, wnich truck gets under way first ? 

or two trucks — one gas, the other elec- 
tric — started at the same time ove;- a short 
haul in congested traffic with many stops. 
the electric will lead th^ way home nine 
times out of tea 

Tires and "fueT' are big items in truck- 
ing. On electrics tires ^fcncrally outrun 
their guaranteed mileage — and gasoLnc is 
going up fast 

The dependence you can put in your 
trucks has a lot to do with their economy 
During the first three years — the best years 
in a gas truck's life — the average gas truck 
is out of commission four times as much as 
a G. V. Electric 
X You'll understand why if you'll compare 



the complicated mechanism of a gas engine 
with the simple motor of an electric— about 
as complex as an electric fart 

These statements ara not mere genenO* 
ties — every one has been worked out time 
and again in practically eveiy kind of busi- 
ness dunng the fifteen years we've been 
makmg G. V. Electric Trucks 

The -results we can qiiote you an not 
claims, they are the figures af. the bottom 
of the cost expert" s colunfis. 

We can prove to you that. \n 85^ oTsO 
dty and suburban trucking, the G. V. Elec^ 
tnc Trucks are the niost economical — the 
most effident 

If we couldn't do so, how could we have 
over 22V of all the motor trucks m New 
York City? Ypu know what it means to 
try to "get" New York. 

Our records of performance cover 7$ In- 
dustries and I 5 years They probably coo- 
tain figures that apply to ^our business. 
They are yours — for the asking. Just tell 
us your line of busuiesi and see if we caa't 
save you money 



GENERAL VEHICLE COMPANY, Inc. 

General Office and Factory: Long Island City, New York <<^^h 

N«« York S«Im Officoi 30 E««t iZA Stre.l— A. P. BOURQUAROEZ. Ditt. M«r. [^^ 
Tclephoa*. Murrar HUl 7386 'W^ 

5ur MoMti 1,000 to JO.OOO Of. eapmcity Dtalirt u» »ptt ttrritery or* imoif* 



■■■■■liillilEi 



The question in the heading of this advertisement shows in the face of the man 
who is evidently trying to figure out some hard problem. The illustration tempts 
to a reading of the text, to find what it is all about. 



146 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

Anything in the way of a picture which does not lead 
the mind of the reader toward the request that the 
advertiser wishes to make is not only useless but dis- 
tinctly harmful. 

It is always to be kept in mind, by everybody who 
has anything to do with the making of the advertise- 
ment, that there must not be two suggestive motives 
in it. An advertisement is not for the purpose of 
exhibiting the charms of, let us say, a very lovely girl, 
unless at the same time the mind of the reader may 
be opened to the suggestion the advertiser wishes to 
make. The pretty girl advertising era is passing, it 
is a solid satisfaction to be able to say. While she is 
one of the joys of our lives, she is not very much in 
mind when we are about to purchase underwear, or 
tobacco, or roast beef. She might influence us some- 
what in the selection of the new cravat, though even 
then we would go much further in the route of the 
suggestion of a pictured tie, tied as it should be. We 
select the tie to meet the approval of some charming 
lady, always, but we know that she is not up in the 
art of tying the latest phase of the four-in-hand or 
wing; nor do we altogether trust her in the weighty 
matter of sartorial harmony in fabric and hue. On 
the other hand, in the matter of corsets, we at least 
acquiesce in the policy of typing ladies in dishabille 
too perfect to even cause one extra palpitation; but, 
to continue in the boudoir and dressing room, we are 



OPPENHEIM.€LllNS&<a ::' 



34th Street— iNew York 
&4nu>ricas'Tor«tnosi ^fpeciaUsis 




Sport Skirts and Blouses-5p«c.w v«faer 

No. 1*6— Russian Cord Wath Skirt; large pearl buttons; slath | . ^>* 
button pockets I d.VU 

Sport Bloute of fongtt with i^ipe* of Rote, Creen and Coptn; \ 



fimin or itriptd collar and cufft . 



No. 11»— Skirt of Striped S«Ac In Gnj and Black and White ■ 
BlMck. Full boi pleated model 



5.00 



8.75 
5.00 



An excellent example of an illustrated advertisement, giving all the necessary 
information with modest display. 



4 

I 

I 



THE ILLUSTRATED ADVERTISEMENT 147 

not especially attracted to the shins of the athletic 
youths who proudly exhibit garters in place. 

In the matter of illustrations for advertising we 
have got to be exceedingly careful not to cause any 
kind of a blush to mantle the cheek of either lady or 
gentleman reader. It is very embarrassing to see 
in print too much of the most beautiful of ladies; and 
as for men, they cannot be shown in any state of 
dress preparedness. They are unattractive with- 
out their outer coverings. We know, of course, that 
B. V. D. underwear is worn in summer, and we know 
how it is worn. What we are especially interested in 
is how the wearing of it affects the outer man. It is 
about all we want of the man unadorned to see him 
when he is doing athletic stunts. It is a little more 
than we want, of that kind; when the triumphant 
and the vanquished fellows have done their stunt, 
we like to see them hike for the dressing rooms. This 
is not modesty. Simply the man form is not a pleas- 
ing thing to look upon. It is not a good policy to 
use it in advertising, or any other picture that is 
not, in all connections and at all times, agreeable to 
be viewed. 

One is liable to get pretty deeply into the mire of 
doubt when this matter of illustration is considered. 
There is a maker of firearms who has made a great 
advertising hit by showing a pistol being struck by a 
heavy hammer, to show that it is not likely to explode 



148 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

until the owner wishes to fire it. This picture is said 
to have helped the sale of the revolver. It is not 
especially pretty, nor is it in any way agreeable. It 
suggests protection from both burglars and careless 
handlers. It assumes that we must have revolvers, 
and gives us assurance that this particular revolver is 
less deadly to innocent users than some of the older 
types have proved to be. The picture admits that 
revolvers, as revolvers, are dangerous, but assures 
us that this particular one may be relied upon not to 
cause the death of any person operating it from the 
butt-end. It plays upon a known condition of mind 
among many people. It graphically tells what it will 
not do in the way of vital damage to the owner. It 
is not always easy to foretell what will be the effect 
of an illustration. But it is easy to use those that 
are sure to attract, and omit those about which there 
is doubt. 

Assuming that the illustration has been selected, 
comes the question of making it and fitting it in with 
the other elements of the advertisement. Shall it be 
a halftone, a zinc etching, a woodcut, or what? 
There is much depending upon this decision, for in 
this item of the illustration there is involved some 
of the great question of efficiency. The illustration 
is not the whole advertisement. Usually, it is the 
secondary element, though it must be the primary 
attractive unit. It is for persuading the reader to 




Square finished halftone, raw edge 



THE ILLUSTRATED ADVERTISEMENT 149 

go on to the argument. It is to catch his eye, 
and induce him to pause long enough to discover what 
the advertisement has of interest to him. In strength, 
the picture should not excell the typography. It 
should promise more interesting things further on. 
The halftone, in its cruder form, is not always a very 
attractive thing in itself. It is, usually, too black, 
too devoid of light and shade, and too literal. The 
newer forms of the halftone are capable of bringing 
out the interesting points of the subject, and of ton- 
ing down to the scale of the type matter. 

In many respects the zinc engraving is better 
adapted for advertising, for a number of reasons. 
It can be made to express something besides photo- 
graphic exactitude, it can be made to tone with the 
typography, and it can be made to express an artistic 
motive. It costs less, which is something to consider. 
It can be made to represent wood engraving, and if 
the artist is skilled in the use of backgrounds, etc., 
it can be made exceedingly picturesque. If, in 
certain cases, something better than a zinc etching 
is needed, the wax method may be employed. It 
gives cleaner lines than the zinc. The wood engrav- 
ing for advertising is enjoying something of a revival, 
though it is not often that it gives any real advantage 
over well-made zincs or wax. Any effect that the 
graver can be made to give on the wood may be got 
by the pen or pencil of the skilled artist, and repro- 



150 HOW TO ADVERTISE 



< 



duced in metal. The wood engravings that are now 
used are made largely by machines. There is very 
little of the individual artistry put on to wood blocks 
for commercial purposes. 

The wise advertiser who wishes to illustrate his 
advertisement will consider the possibilities of the 
zinc process before deciding to employ any other 
method. It requires more expense for the drawing, 
usually, than for the photograph for the halftone 
plate. A machine may be photographed and the 
print retouched for less money than a really good 
drawing could be made, usually. And if the half- 
tone gives the details with suflScient fulness, it may 
well be used. But it is true that the halftone, made 
from a photograph, is often too literally true for the 
purposes of advertising illustration. The camera 
sees all that comes within its focus, but it does not 
see around a corner. It is often necessary to show 
parts of an object that cannot be seen from one point 
of view. It is often necessary to see into a mass of 
detail, further than the camera penetrates, in order 
to give a true idea of the thing illustrated. No photo- 
graph, however good, is able to give a good idea of an 
automobile, except as to its general aspects. If 
characteristic details are wanted, some other graphic 
medium than the camera has to be employed to 
depict them. A good drawing of an automobile is, 
usually, much better than the best photograph. 




Zinc etching 



Plus Population — Do You 
Take Into Account the Sum- 
mer Visitors to New England? 




MANY manufacturers of staple products have 
wondered why their sales per capita of popula- 
tion have averaged so much higher in New 
England than in any other territory Thciy base their 
figures on permanent population, not considering the 
hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to this sec* 
tion every Summer i 

These Summer residents do not bnng their food with them — they bring 
Kttle except money and the desire for enjoyment. They must be pro- 
vided with things to eat, beds to sleep in, boats to sail in, gasoline, oil, 
tires, picture post cards, tooth powder, cigars, cigarettes, candy, kodak 
films and what not. All of which are sold through New England re- 
tailers and go toward the volume of business in this territory Then 
the Summer resident goes home with less money but "with the memory 
of a good time — a Summer in New England is one of the finest things 
of life — and he is also likely to have the memory of several things con- 
cerning which he will speak to bis retailer at home something like this: 
"Say, Perkins, we had the finest ham I ever tasted on the menii^up at 
the Ml. Washington Hotel. It was called Snyder-Cure Ham. Won't 
you gel it for us here." «.>«_^— _ 

You see, 10 getting New England business, you gel a high-grade ilicr of businesf 
from various other sections of the country, too 

New England is the first territory that a manulTacturer of trade-marked goods should 
develop. It is compact, distribution is economical, the character of retailers very 
high, and it is thoroughly covertd by high-grade daily newspapers which will carry 
your advertising to the public-at moderate cost 

This advertisement for advertisers is unique, but so simple as to cause wonder 
that more advertisers do not study such simple methods to make their advertising 
different, and therefore more attention getting. 



152 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

But that an original picture may be drawn rather 
than photographed does not make it necessary that it 
shall be reproduced by any particular engraving 
process. Almost any kind of an original may be 
reproduced in the halftone; but just because it is a 
halftone it is not so desirable for subjects that can be 
reproduced in full tone; which, for advertising pur- 
poses, means zinc or wax etchings. The halftone 
must be made too black in order that its halftone 
quality may produce what are optically full-tone 
prints. The lines and masses made by the zinc 
process are full tone, and the exact intent of the artist 
is realized in the printing plate. 

In this matter, as in the handling of type for adver- 
tisements, it is necessary that the designer knows the 
various processes of plate making well enough to 
enable him to visualize the results before he is obliged 
to make his final decision. He should be able to see, 
in imagination, his whole advertisement before he 
takes one of the steps toward its actual making. 
The nature of the thing to be advertised, the charac- 
ter of the people to whom the advertising is to appeal, 
the mediums in which the advertisement is to be 
printed — these are the considerations that must be 
taken into account in the fixing of the illustrations 
for advertising. It is a great mistake to imagine that 
because a photograph shows an article graphically it 
is the best thing that can be used for any advertise- 



F THE ILLUSTRATED ADVERTISEMENT 153 

ment. That may, indeed, be the conclusive reason 
for not using it. It is easy to show too much in an 
illustration. The illustration is not for the purpose 
of concluding the sale, but for the purpose of begin- 
ning it. If the thing to be sold is so simple in con- 
struction that the photograph shows it completely, 
and suggests all that it can do, then it is evident that 
a photograph should not be used for an illustration. 
It will be better to select some phase of the results of 
the advertised thing in action. We do not wish to 
have readers make up their minds simply by taking 
a look at the illustration. We use the illustration to 
toll them along to the text matter of the advertise- 
ment, in order that we may have opportunity to 
suggest to them the proper line of consideration. A 
look at a too graphic illustration might well operate 
to limit the understanding of the value of the thing, 
even if it did give a very clear idea of exactly what it 
is, as a physical entity. The advertisement is for the 
purpose of enabling the reader to take the view the 
advertiser wishes him to take. The advertiser's 
view is formed after thorough study and complete 
acquaintance. It is the view that it is necessary 
for the reader to get, if he is to reap any advantage 
from the advertisement. The photograph of a 
mousetrap, let us say, might not give a reader any 
just conception of the capacity of the trap to end 
the lives of rodents. A drawing of the trap with, on 



154 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

one side, a pile of defunct mice, and on the other side 
a procession of fooKsh mice marching toward the 
engine planned to destroy them, would give a very 
graphic idea of what the maker of the mousetrap 
wishes the readers to feel with regard to his proposi- 
tion to them. 

When this graphic picture of the mousetrap, in 
action, as we might say, is made it is the most natural 
thing to have it reproduced by some process that will 
make a picture like the drawing, and in tone like 
the type matter. The real picture should be, as 
nearly as possible, like the mental picture created in 
the mind of the reader by the text, remembering 
that the very forms of the type help to form the 
picture in the mind. A picture made up of fuUtone 
lines, somewhat like, in general contours and color 
character, the lines of the type, has a certain initial 
advantage. In mechanical motive, at least, it 
harmonizes with the physical motive of the types, 
and does not require of the mind that any effort 
be made to reconcile the real and the mind pictures 
as referring to the same subject. 

Subtleties.'^ Yes, to be sure. The whole adver- 
tising proposition is merely a bundle of subtleties. 
It is that these multifarious subtleties have never 
been given the recognition and attention they deserve 
that advertising is still reckoned as something of a 
gamble, impossible to predicate, and inefficient in an 




VOCAUON WEEK 

c/?/ AEOLIAN HALL 



THE central tttractioa of 
Vocation Week wiU be the 
exhibition of a magnificent 
gr6up of Art instruments, 
wholly beyond aiid unlike any- 
thing heretofore attempted in 
the maoufacturc of pboaO- 
graphs; 

Here the conattfiseur w3i 
And genuine objet* d'art in 
furniture — pieces vhich in de- 
•ign, wood color and 6lii;b- 
reflect the very spirit of the 
classic periods. And the rju« 
beauty of their outward appear- 
ance ia significant of art equal 
degree of perfection in their 
musical and other features 

MUSICAL 
DEMONSTRATIONS 

The second feature of 
Vocalion Week will be the in- 
formal musical demonstrations, 
taking place each day at speci- 
fied hours as indicated in the 
Programme 

Just 10 the measure that 
this great, 'new phonograph 
surpasses in physical art and 
beauty ail previous instruments. 
•o io musical quaUties and ca- 



Pro. 



RPPEATED DAILY 
atEUven,Two,ThfeeandFoar 



2. ANGEL'S SERENADE 

3. " PRIMROSE" 



SrUNCS SlRCINC ■•(Ik^ 

In Q>e VOCAUON SALONS 

SKCIAl. HDSCAI 



* 



pabilities u likewise expels. It 
has been scientifically demon* 
strated that the Aeolian 
Vocalion reproduces all varieties 
of musical sound with a fidelity 
hitherto unapproached by any 
phonograph. This means that 
the appealing quality in the 
strings of violin or cc)lo, to 
the mellpw wood-winds of the 

AN INVITATION 

Ae$lid» Hall tptms itt dt$n U jtm tiii witt Yn may h dttplj tnlirtstid tr* 
jn maj never tave fell sm imterett >'■ tkt.pktrugrapk. Here, ktwever, it nmeUing 
Hal will altractievtrf Uver $f the ieautifutanJ ffmuiic. The exkiiititn at J musical 
dtmrntraUtnt are, tfeturu, free Nttiliffitittuf/anf kind will attatk It jeurviut 
4ad The AnliaHjCamfiOHy wiU be tenuinely [ratified tt e^tertajw yuatiu imviudguut 

Exhibition of Art Instruments 
both in New York and Brooklyn 



orcbestn, ta the velvet Bexlr 
bility of *the human vOlce. w 
equally apparent io records 
playea upon (he Aeolian-Voca- 
lion. It means an entirely new 
fullaess. richness, depth and 
beauty of phonograph tone. 

THE NEW PHONOGRAPH 
FEATURE 
During tHe demonstratitis 
recitals a performer will shoB 
how by means of the Graduob 
-the exclusive and revolutiolh 
ary expression device of the 
Aeolian- Vocalion — anyone may 
render a record to suit his in- 
dividual taste This is a WMf 
derful privilege added to those 
the phonograph has hitherto 
conveyed. It means that every 
one,may find in the Vocation a 
medium for the expression of 
his own music instinct's. It 
me'ans that record monotony 
IS forever banished. It mean* 
that there may be given to any 
record a quality of Uvingnus and 
delrcatevarJetyof interpretation, 
that lifts the iitherto stereo- 
typed phonograph performance 
directly into the realm of genu- 
ine expressive musical art 



* 



The AEOLIAN COMPANY 

NEW YORK A iPrni I A M H A f f BROOKDYN 

29 West 42aa Street /\ILUL»1/\X\ H/\L.L, U Elatbusb Avenw 

Makin »f tk* Fammti PimiU — Lariat Mim4athtrm t/ Mmuttl Imttrymntt im tit VtrU 



Large newspaper advertisement, excellently composed 



156 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

alarming degree. More than any other business in 
the world advertising is made up of a vast variety 
of important trifles; and it is to advertising more 
exactly than to any art, craft, avocation, or busi- 
ness, that Michaelangelo's great little saying that 
''Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle" 
applies. The trifle of making the illustration a 
halftone when it should be a zinc-etched line draw- 
ing may very well put an advertisement into the 
75 per cent, inefficient class; while if the illustration 
had been a pen drawing carefully etched by the zinc 
process the same advertisement might have been 75 
per cent, efficient. It is upon such apparent trifles 
that advertising depends for its values. 

If the article to be sold lends itself to such treat- 
ment, there is no doubt that a properly prepared 
illustrated advertisement is the most effective form 
of publicity, all things considered. The picture 
makes it possible to use less text, and that means 
less space to pay for. The picture combines two 
essential units of the advertisement — attraction and 
suggestion — and guides the reader along two impor- 
tant stages of his progress toward becoming a buyer, 
thus eliminating one chance for loss of interest. If 
the picture is a good one, it creates a better approach 
to the sale than can be created by words. 




Line etching with screen background 



I 



CHAPTER XI 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE most important consideration with regard 
to the illustration for an advertisement is 
that it shall illustrate. The next most im- 
portant consideration is that it illustrates agreeably, 
harmoniously, and graphically — that is, truthfully. 

For exact truthfulness there is nothing to com- 
pete with the halftone, except in exceptional cases. 
There are subjects that the camera falsifies, as we 
see them. There is more than one kind of truth, 
even as to things we see. Truth is as we see it, not 
as somebody asserts it to be. Many things are not 
seen with our eyes as they are seen by the camera. 
In order to make some photographs truthful they 
must first be, in some particulars, falsified. So, 
while in 99 per cent, of the requirements of the 
advertiser the halftone furnishes him the best 
method for illustration, in the one per cent, it should 
be rejected. And this statement needs material 
modification. It often happens that the advertiser 
makes a mistake when he adopts the best possible 
illustration for his advertisement. The second, or 

157 



158 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

third, best illustration often contributes more toward 
making the best advertisement than does the first 
best. 

The advertiser ought to imderstand the several 
processes for making plates for illustrative purposes 
in order that he may select that which will best serve 
his purposes, and not have to rely upon the advice 
of the plate maker, though this advice may be frank 
and unbiased. 

A halftone plate is a photograph etched upon a 
copper plate in reverse, ready for printing. A zinc 
etching is a picture etched upon a zinc plate in 
reverse, ready for printing. A halftone plate may 
be made of almost any kind of a picture as well as of a 
photograph, but when it is subjected to the halftone 
process it is treated by photography; and the process 
is essentially one devised and adapted for the purpose 
of reproducing photographs in printed matter with 
substantial accuracy and sympathy. While a pen 
sketch may be reproduced by the halftone process 
it suffers thereby in its distinctive quality, and there 
is no good reason for using the process for this pur- 
pose. Wash drawings, and other compositions , in 
black-and-white masses, may be reproduced by the 
halftone process, and are now almost always made 
for that process. There have recently been so many 
improvements made in the halftone processes, and 
its scope has been so extended, that it is almost a 




Outlined halftone 



ILLUSTRATIONS 159 

risk to assume that it is not adapted to all neces- 
sities of the advertiser. 

The halftone is one of those modern develop- 
ments of what would once have been the impossible. 
It utilizes for optical effects that which we cannot 
see. Its distinctive effects are produced by manipu- 
lating tiny black-and-white spaces in combination 
that are so minute as not to be distinguishable by 
the eye. The dominance of the white spaces pro- 
duces degrees of grayness, and the dominance of the 
black points produces degrees of blackness. As it is 
not possible to print, by the usual processes and with 
the ordinary machinery, the full tones of a photo- 
graph, the effect of the full tones is produced, by the 
halftone process, by photographing the original sub- 
ject on to the thin copper film that forms the face 
of the printing block through a screen, so that the 
negative resulting will be made up of very fine black 
lines running across the field of the negative in two 
directions, so that at their intersecting points there 
will be small black dots, and the balance of the field 
will be white, or the color of the plate. This portion 
of the plate that is not black is eaten away by an 
acid which does not affect the black spots; so the 
black dots are left in relief. 

WTiy some of these black dots are larger than 
others, while all are produced by photographing 
through the screen made with exactly equal spaces 



160 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

between the black lines, is one of the more or less 
abstruse secrets of photography, quite obvious and 
understandable, but requiring strictly technical 
knowledge to understand, and much space to explain. 
We may accept the fact, and through doing so under- 
stand that the dots on the negative are larger where 
the tone is more intense in the original, and smaller 
where there is more light, in the high lights. So that 
the efiFect in printing is to more nearly cover the 
paper with the ink where the picture is darker, and 
deposit less ink upon those spaces that are nearer 
white in the original. The dots are so near together 
that we are not able, with the naked eye, to perceive 
the spaces between them, so the print appears to be 
in full tone; that is, just as the original appears in 
nature, or in the painting or drawing of the artist. 
It is not an optical illusion, but an optical obscura- 
tion. The white paper that we cannot distinguish 
as spots between the dots of the halftone modifies 
the tone of the print to our eyes, and brings out its 
motive. 

Recent improvements in this process enable the 
engraver to cut away portions of the screen, and 
obtain spots or areas of absolute white, called high 
light. The screens are manipulated in many ways 
to get effects that enable the advertiser to show his 
goods in both a truthful and a graphic manner. 
The screen is a piece of highly developed scientific 




'. ' \^i^\^w0'^^M ^ 



High-light halftone from crayon drawing 



ILLUSTRATIONS 161 

mechanics, and has been carefully studied with 
good eflFect by high-class inventors. While it is 
comparatively simple, in principle, its development 
for this purpose has been along lines that are ab- 
strusely scientific, and it is outside the purpose of this 
book to undertake even a description of it, except to 
remark, in passing, that it consists of two plates of 
glass upon which fine black lines have been chemically 
etched, running diagonally across them. These 
plates are cemented together in such a manner as to 
bring the etched lines across each other and form tiny 
diamonds of clear glass between them, and tiny black 
dots at the points of intersection. There are from 
eighty to 400 of these dots to the square inch, 
according to the necessities of the case. Those 
with eighty dots are used for making halftones for 
very coarse work. The screen shows very plainly 
in these halftones, when printed, and the picture 
appears as a filmy darker gray — indistinct and not 
at all pleasing. The usual screens are from 120 to 
175 mesh, the 120 mesh being used for newspaper 
plates, and the 175 for fine commercial work, such as 
catalogs printed on enameled paper. The screen 
most used for ordinary magazine work is 133 mesh, 
with 150 mesh chosen for certain subjects. This 
screen gives a plate on which the mesh of the screen 
is barely undetected by the casual eye, but which 
can be seen by the close observer. The 150 screen 



162 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

makes a plate which gives a print that does not reveal 
the screen. 

The examples of halftones given with this chapter 
tell the story of its adaptability for advertising illus- 
tration better than it can be told with type. They 
are not especially made for this purpose, but were 
furnished from the ordinary lines of work by an 
engraver who has made a close study of the halftone, 
and has contributed to its development for com- 
mercial uses. The author and publishers of this 
book are indebted to this gentleman* for the plates 
used. He has kindly furnished them to help the 
general cause of the spread among advertisers of all 
the advantageous methods that have come into 
profitable usage. 

A zinc etching is made in the same way a halftone 
is made, except that in photographing the drawing 
or photograph on to the metal used for the plate no 
screen is interposed, and the image on the metal is 
exactly like the original — a full-tone picture. The 
print from a zinc etching is a full-tone print. This 
suggests the limitations of the process, for advertisers. 
Zinc is used for the plate because it is less expensive 
than copper, and serves this purpose well enough 
for the grade of work the zinc cut is usually used for. 
If better results than zinc will yield are required, 
copper is sometimes used. It gives better lines 

*Mr. F. H. Clark, of Cleveland. 




Halftone with Ben Day background 



% 



ILLUSTRATIONS 16S 

and wears better in printing. Through the use of 
"Ben Day" prepared backgrounds, tint blocks, and 
in combination with halftones, the zinc engraving 
has come into important work in the production of 
advertising literature. In advertising that is printed 
in newspapers and periodicals it is most often used to 
reproduce a simple black-and-white illustration or 
decoration, but the cut thathas parts made by the half- 
tone process and parts by the zinc process are com- 
mon, the plates being mounted in combination upon 
the same block. These can be used only on paper 
good enough to take the halftone portion of the cut. 

Other varieties of reproductory processes are used 
in advertising, among them being wood engraving, 
the oldest of all, the original process. As it is now 
practised for commercial purposes wood engraving 
bears but little resemblance to the process as origi- 
nally practised. Then it was an individual art, exe- 
cuted by men with a talent for it, by hand, with hand 
tools, controlled and inspired by individual capacity 
and ripe training. The engraver on wood stood near 
to the creative artist. Some of them were really 
creative artists, and put their work directly on to the 
wood blocks, without the intervention of drawing or 
photograph. In this sense, the art of wood engraving 
has nearly become obsolete. It is practised by but 
very few men, and they are of the old regime. We 
do not hear of young artists taking it up. 



164 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

For commercial work wood engraving has ex- 
perienced quite a renaissance, but it is executed 
chiefly by cleverly designed machines, which cut the 
lines with great precision and speed. Some sup- 
plementary work by the hand graver is necessary, 
but it is much in the nature of retouching. For some 
subjects wood is a specially good medium for adver- 
tising. For a building, for example, the angles oi 
which prevent the making of a comprehensive photo- 
graph, and for machinery where it is necessary to 
show parts that do not come within the angles of the 
camera, wood engravings are especially fitting. An 
effect of wood engraving is made by the halftone 
process, by the use of a screen with the lines all run- 
ning one way, with no cross lines, as is shown in one 
of the examples used; which also uses a zinc plate to 
get the solid black effects. The metzograph shown 
is a good process for portraits. It is a modification 
of the halftone process, using a grained screen instead 
of a lined screen, and getting other effects by cutting 
out the screen at certain points and getting high-light 
effects. 

There are almost innumerable other processes, 
and modifications of processes, some of which are 
good and some of which may be forgotten without 
loss by the advertising designer. It is scarcely 
possible for him to keep fully posted on the advances 
made by the engravers, and it is the part of wisdom 




Metzograph 



h 



ILLUSTRATIONS 165 

to cultivate the friendship and cooperation of those 
in the business who represent the best practices and 
are progressive, and to keep as well posted as possible 
by reading the best among the trade papers devoted 
to the engraving business. 

We do not go into the matter of the use of lithog- 
raphy and its several variants, because it cuts but a 
small figure in advertising published in newspapers 
and periodicals, and it is not practicable for the 
advertiser to use any of the lithographic processes 
for the illustrations in his copy. He uses them in 
the production of his direct advertising, for catalogs, 
booklets, posters, and the like, and in that field 
they are of special interest and importance. The 
newer developments of oflFset printing and the so- 
called rotogravure process are making their mark in 
newspaper and periodical publication. Eventually 
it seems certain that periodicals will be printed in 
combination of these processes with regular letter- 
press processes, making the illustrations by the offset 
or rotogravure process and the text by the usual proc- 
ess now employed. This merely means that presses 
doing the separate processes would be operated in tan- 
dem fashion, the paper running over the offset press, 
for example, first, and then on to the ordinary press 
where the text would be printed in. When this comes 
about the advertiser will need to revise his ideas and 
his knowledge about his illustrative work. 



166 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

It is an art to prepare photographs and drawings 
for the engraver. The best possible advice that can 
be given the advertising designer is that, if he does 
not thoroughly understand the task, he turn it all 
over to experts who do understand it. To specify 
and supervise retouching and engraving work, not to 
mention guiding the commercial photographer or 
artist in the work of making the copy, involves a 
body of expert knowledge on the part of the designer 
that he ought not fairly to be expected to have. He 
must have a certain degree of critical skill to enable 
him to judge of the eflSciency of the work done for 
him, but if he attempts to master the technique of 
this line of work he will be giving more time and 
mentality to it than usually is warranted. 

The better way, and the more economical way if 
excellence of work and conservation of the designer's 
time are considerations, is to call in a really expert 
retoucher and be guided by him, both as to the re- 
touching and as to the specifications for the engraver. 
If the work in hand should be something in the way 
of direct advertising, such as an illustrated catalog, 
the better method for securing the best possible 
result is to consult a well-informed printer who has a 
reputation for turning out good work in the same line. 
Go carefully into all plans with him, and let him have 
charge of the whole work, including handling all the 
illustrations from the original photographs or draw- 




Halftone with special tooling and screen border 



ILLUSTRATIONS 167 

mgs to the completed book. The advertising man- 
ager, or the designer, should suggest or approve the 
general plan to the printer, and take up the funda- 
mental questions of size, shape, kind and quality of 
paper, design of type, ink, and general character and 
size of illustrations; then the printer should be al- 
lowed much discretion and latitude in executing the 
work, and fixing the minor details. In no other way 
can that individuality and "punch" required be 
secured. If there is not a printer available who is 
competent to undertake work on this basis, then it is 
necessary for the designer to make the whole working 
scheme, and follow the work through every process. 
This is a very tiresome system, and always produces 
much friction between the designer and the printer; 
and it limits and restricts the ability of both. 

For an advertisement in newspapers or periodicals 
it is better that the designer have it set and plated 
under his own supervision, if possible, even if it is 
done in the plant of a newspaper or magazine, and he 
should exercise as much care about the illustrations 
as though the piece were to be entered in a result- 
bringing contest to compete for a big prize. In the 
offices of large newspapers and magazines there are 
men who know all about engravings, commercial 
photographers, artists, and the like, and who are 
competent to advise about particular processes, and 
the style that may be expected to make the best 






168 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

impression when used in the periodical they represent. 
They can be consulted freely, and should be. Most 
of them have depths of suggestive ability that will 
yield good results for the designers who know what 
they want to accomplish, and are willing to credit 
others with some initiative and constructive ability. 
Therefore, while it is well that the advertising 
designer know as much as possible about making il- 
lustrations for advertisements, the wiser course for 
him to follow is to commit the work to an expert, 
with specific instructions. It is work for an expert. 
If a designer was thoroughly competent to handle 
this matter as well as it ought always to be handled 
the extent of his knowledge in that direction might 
fairly be supposed to limit his capacity as a designer. 
There is a point of saturation for the human mind, 
when intensive and extensive knowledge is concerned. 
The wise and successful man in any business, and 
especially in advertising designing, is he who best 
knows how to evaluate and enlist the abilities of 
others. 






Halftone with high- light treatment of background 




Wood engraving 



CHAPTER XII 

THE DECORATIVE ADVERTISEMENT 

IT IS quite possible that the day of the decorative 
advertisement is waning. But there are pos- 
sibilities in that kind of advertising that may not 
fully have been tested. Some big successes have been 
scored by the advertisements that do little more than 
remind readers of the existence of certain goods. 

It is evident that the purely decorative advertise- 
ment — or, it may be more exact to say the purely sug- 
gestive advertisement — has not yet been exhausted 
as a business getter. It has been used by some well- 
known advertisers, and it has been discarded by 
many who have used it for long periods of time. 
This circumstance, instead of proving that it is an 
ineflScient method of advertising, may well be taken 
to at least suggest that its capabilities have never 
been fully tested. 

Take the Packard automobile makers. They 
relied largely upon a shibboleth in an attractive 
setting of illustration and decoration, not giving any 
descriptive or argumentative matter. This policy 
presupposed that whoever read the advertisement 

169 



170 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

would have suflBcient knowledge of the Packard 
machine to satisfy them that it was worth their while 
to make the necessary inquiries of ''the man who 
owns one." Either this or the supposition was that 
every reader of the advertising would already have 
come to know about the car, and would only need 
the psychological suggestion that it was the car to be 
owned. It finally worked out that it was necessary 
to give some real reasons to readers who might become 
buyers. The same thing happened with respect to 
the equally famed Ivory soap advertising, which for a 
long time was nothing but pretty pictures and the 
very important information that "It floats." It, 
too, came into the fold of the advertisers that took 
special pains to describe their goods in considerable 
detail. 

The lesson of these experiments in incomplete 
psychology seems to be that decorative advertising 
without complete information, and adequate argu- 
ment, is not exclusively to be relied upon. But it 
need not be discarded. It should not be aban- 
doned. It may be exceedingly useful and productive. 
It continues to be used by at least one big advertiser, 
a breakfast food of the class that may be described 
as having been made by advertising and as being 
all the time sustained by advertising; without 
much exclusive distinction or many individual 
merits. 




Tne beauty of a diamond is but a 
part of its appeal. Tne genuineness 
of the diamond is also necessary. 

Qrane^s ddnen c&wn 

[ Tife CORRECT WRITING PAPER] 

like the diamond is something more 
than a beautiful writing paper Its quality 
IS as important as its appearance. 

^^ EATON, CRANE & TTKE CO. 
^^P Newark Pittsfield,Masa 

'^^ oAtaarded Grand Fnze Panama-Pacific Exposition 



Decoration and design suggesting that dainty quality the advertiser evidently 
wishes his goods invested with. 



172 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

If there is one thing that has been demonstrated 
near to the line of absolute conviction it is that no 
one style of advertising is adequate for any product. 
The truth that there are strata of people who are 
most easily influenced by one style of salesmanship, 
while other strata are susceptible to other methods, 
has many times been proved. A great encyclopedia 
has sold its product to a certain class of people 
through one method of promotion. Then it went 
over the same ground with a different appeal pressed 
home in a different manner, and found another very 
large clientele for the same book. This method is 
worked by many manufacturers. The lesson has 
been learned by some advertisers, but not by all who 
might greatly profit by it. 

No one style of advertising can eflSciently promote 
anything. When one method has had time to pro- 
duce such results as it can, another method may be 
tried in the same field and through the same mediums. 
The Packard people were wise to abandon their 
sententious decorative advertising and try the 
descriptive and argumentative variety. It attacks 
the same men who have been reading the shibboleth 
for years from a new and fresh angle, and is likely 
to cause them to take action. This concern fol- 
lowed the descriptive advertising by a series based 
upon the facetious command, appealing to the sense 
of humor, and scarcely heeding any necessity to tell 




Tlie Belgium Relief 
Commii^ appeal io^our 
pihi and ^enero^tu io aid in 
mitiga^iheha/dshipsof 
war and winter endured by 
homeless mofters andchildr^. 

SubscripHoas ofataj amomdwiUhe 
ffxiieAJbf received cmd cuJawwIedged b^ 

Chas. CHarrisom. Jr. &C!o. 

Loifoyetie Btiildin^ 
Philadelphia ^ 

Ac6m* as deposUoTjr 



A very good example of hand-lettered advertisement, by Mr. Harvey H. Ehmn. 
The one serious defect is the indention of the italic paragraph preceding the signa- 
ture. The decorative illustration makes the whole argument. The lettering 
might have been several degrees lighter, and the gross appeal of the advertisement 
would have been stronger, by thus throwing out still stronger the pitifulness of 
the need of the poor deprived children of Belgium. 



174 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

anything about the machine or its qualities, save an 
exaggerated declaration as to some half mythical, 
half impossible performance. This will appeal to a 
new group, and to the old group in a new way. 

The reverse of the policy of the Packard people 
was that adopted by Chalmers when he took up the 
automobile business. His early advertising was 
painfully illuminating, going into detail in the most 
thorough manner, and printing a mass of reading 
matter that presented formidable tasks to those 
who wished to know enough of the automobile lore 
to guide them in selecting a car. After a time, 
despite the firm protestations of Mr. Chalmers to the 
effect that he was wedded to the informative style, 
the Chalmers advertising changed. It changed often. 
Finally it landed in the office of a man who believes in 
making advertising like reading matter, who used 
little impressionistic essays, keyed to a "do-it-now'' 
style, written in the terminology of the younger set, 
and printed under a picture of the car without dis- 
play. 

Each of these styles has been effective, as is proved 
by the fact of the sales and popularity of the cars 
involved. It would be interesting to know just what 
kind of buyers were attracted by each style. That is 
impossible, as nobody has yet begun to assay adver- 
tising with that thoroughness. It is certain that each 
style attracted some who would not be attracted by 



I 



•I 

Ulfiai indescriSaSfe someffiin^ 
ca/fed cfiarm 



Womanly charm doesn't mean features of chis- 
eled regularity, nor costly, imported gowns. 
It means fastidious daintiness, combined with 
careful, \nX.t\\\gtnX. grooming. 

No physical feature shows the effect of care 
more prominently than does the hair. Nur~ 
tured, it lends charm to the plainest face. 

To keep the hair damtily clean — at the same 
time to improve the scalp conditions — these 
are the good offices of Packer's Tar Soap. 

Used faithfully, this pure pine-tar product 
will promote healthy, vigorous growth — 
make the hair fluffy and easy to coif Send 
IOC for sample. 

Write for our Manual, "The Hair and Scalp — 
Modern Care and Treatment," 36 pages of practi- 
cal information, sent free on request. 

Tackefs Tar Soap 

CPure as the Tines) 

Packer's Liquid Tar Soap — an efficient cleanser, 
delicately perfumed Liberal sample loc 



The Packer Mfc Co., Dept 87G, 81 Fulton St . New York 



Here is just that little touch of decoration that lends charm to the whole composi- 
tion — a very attractively designed advertisement. Notice the tone of the decora- 
tive cut and the border, in connection with the essential Unes of type and the text. 



176 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

the other styles. It is certain that the advertising 
appeal must be varied, as human nature is varied. 
And it is as certain that the advertising that consists 
mainly of decorative attractive features and no argu- 
ment is useful — if it is properly employed. It is 
adventurous. It is hitting in the dark. It is ap- 
pealing to people to spend their money just because 
they have been made to feel good by a clever picture, 
a bright sentence, or an artistic decoration. People 
will not spend money in answer to such an appeal, 
except for something that is in the nature of a neces- 
sity, or for something they had resolved to possess. 
The man who had already decided to buy a motor car 
might be deflected to one of those that had advertised 
by a picture and a shibboleth. The picture and the 
shibboleth would hardly arouse in him an original 
desire to buy, or satisfy him that he ought to buy 
that particular thing. 

In this matter of decorative advertising we have 
been feeling our way, as in the whole field of adver- 
tising, and we have both overdone and underdone 
the thing. The decoration should not be elaborate 
or profuse. Either tends to absorb the attention of 
the reader, whereas we desire only to get a very small 
proportion of it, and lead it into the consideration of 
the thing we are advertising. It is not the elegant 
advertisement we wish to have noticed, but the fact 
that something is suggested that has to be drawn out 



r 




Announcing 
WHITE ENCLOSED CARS 

CUSTOM BUILT 

^■yH^E Limousine, the Landauietand the 
c/ Town Car are constructed lower than 
heretofore. The new lines enhance the 
gracefulness of White design. They are 
extremely simple, unbroken by door 
mouldings and other details unnecessary 
to the finest body construction. 

White Motor Cars are a custom built product, 
not merely in general design, but in every detail 
which characterizes the made-to-order car — 
grace of line, imported materials, individual 
appointments and the nicety of construction and 
finish which expensive hand labor produces. 

THE 
WHITE COMPANY 

CLEVELAND 



_J 



An attempt, by the use of severely restrained and carefully conventionalized 
typography, to appeal to people who wish to have exclusive things. 



178 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

of the reader's mind, or sought in other channels, 
"Ask the man who owns one" is in the line of adver- 
tising command, and it is a very daring reliance for 
the advertiser to conclude that the reader who may 
have the idea of an automobile coming to life in his 
mind will actually go out and seek for a man that has 
had experience with that particular machine. But 
if there is going to be any chance at all that he will 
take that course, his mind must not be filled, cloyed, 
with the design of the advertisement. 

The decorative feature of the suggestive advertise- 
ment should, therefore, be a very modest one; and 
it should lead very directly to the advertised article — 
toll the reader up to the very thing, and in the most 
obvious way, that is to be sold by the advertisement. 
It is difficult for advertisers to practise restraint with 
respect to this class of advertising. It seems eco- 
nomic folly for them to pay for space, and for the work 
of an artist as well, and not get in any body blows at 
the buyers. They like to buy elaborate designs, 
without any special leading in any direction; exhibits 
of the versatility of the artist. The idea of wasting 
good white space for the sole purpose of putting one 
tiny idea into the heads of the readers seems sinful 
waste to the men who are furnishing the money to 
pay for the space. 

In reality, the underlying strength of the suggestive 
advertisement is the big idea in advertising. It is 



THE DECORATIVE ADVERTISEMENT 179 

to seek to get the name of a product so pleasantly 
and so thoroughly into the minds of readers that 
when they require anything in the line of that product 
its name will be the first response from the sub- 
conscious mind. This is the most permanent and 
productive result of advertising. When clear wheat 
breakfast food is required probably nine in every ten 
people would first think of Cream of Wheat, and at 
least seven in every ten would order it without even 
thinking if there may be other makes equally as good, 
or better. So, though perhaps not quite to the 
same extent, of Ivory soap. Dealers and customers 
think first of those things that have been dinned into 
their minds for so long and so persistently; and they 
think of those things that they have come to know 
by name rather than by quality. If the breakfast 
food had been advertised in a descriptive way there 
would have been nothing to differentiate it from 
many others. But no others can use the jolly darky 
chef. His smile opened our minds for the small but 
vital seed of the name of the food. Do what we may, 
nothing can dislodge it. We may have satisfied our- 
selves that the food had no special merits, that it 
cost too much, that it was nothing but partly milled 
flour, etc., etc. No conclusion of the judgment will 
ever dislodge that chef and that name. We may not 
buy it, but it will be there. The suggestion is a 
pleasing one, and it will continue to work as long as 




Here is an advertisement properly proportioned, with good typography and a 
good border; but withal it is not a good advertisement. The border is much too 
heavy for the typography, and thus "hogs" the attention of the reader. One is 
compelled to sense the border to the exclusion of the text. 



THE DECORATIVE ADVERTISEMENT 181 

we continue to buy or use that kind of breakfast 
food. 

This device, the black chef and the kiddy waiting 
for his breakfast, is simple. It requires no eflFort to 
understand it or to remember it. We may consider 
it a model for the suggestive advertisement, even 
though it usually is given a full page in expensive 
mediums to hand it to us. It asks almost nothing of 
us. We cannot possibly turn the page upon which it 
is printed without getting all the story for that pro- 
duct that its owners wish to give us. Just the fleet- 
ing glance, almost unconscious, of the agreeable pic- 
ture sets the name vibrating in the mind. The rest 
is as we are minded. But whatever we are minded 
•we will never be able to think of this kind of foo*d 
without thinking of Cream of Wheat; and that is all 
any advertisement can do. And yet we do not think 
so much of the really good paintings that are used 
for the advertisements. We think of the thing 
advertised. There is no challenge in the design for 
study. There is no mystery as to the meaning. 
There is nothing to deflect the mind away from the 
thing advertised. 

The decorative matter for an advertisement must 
be good art. If it is not the influence will be adverse. 
Many of us claim that we do not care much about 
art. We like a good picture, but we like it because 
of its subject. We need not flatter ourselves: 



182 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

that which we like in a picture is the art with which 
it is presented to us. We do not admit the worth 
of the subject unless it is shown us through the 
medium of good art. It is not so much the cow in the 
bucolic scene that attracts us as the composition of 
the picture in which the cow is the chief part. The 
wooden cows used by a concern that makes malted 
milk, as they stand awkwardly in some rail-roadside 
barren field, do not appeal to us at all. They are 
good enough cows, but they do not belong in the 
picture that we see as the train flits through it. 
They do not ^'compose." Let a good artist take the 
same cows and place them in a composition that is 
according to art tenets and we would have a picture 
that would appeal to the good lady who loves to 
recall her girlhood days on the farm. She would 
firmly maintain that it was the cows that appealed 
to her, while as a matter of fact it would be the 
artistic arrangement of the picture with the cows in 
it. 

In advertising we wish to make just this appeal 
to people who see the advertisements. It cannot be 
done unless we are able to connect with some senti- 
ment that is vital in the lives of the people who read 
and look. "Ask the man who owns one" is a very 
strong appeal, in itself, because it puts the adver- 
tiser's interests unreservedly into the keeping of the 
reader, and is the best possible evidence that the 



I 



Submit Your Book Problems to 

1 tA Place g/^'^^Unusual JeaHct ' 




The Lord & Taylor Book Shop 

CONDUCTEX) BY DOUBLEDAY.. PAGE & CO. 

Fifth Avenue and Thirty-Eighth Street, New York 

^IT A book shop which attempts to give good books 
^Jl the gracious and charming surroundings they 
deserve. Elasy chairs, portreuts, and carefully chosen 
furniture lend the shop the atmosphere and setting 
of a private library where the customer may browse 
in comfort and at will. 

^TT During the spring the Lord & Taylor Book 
^jj Shop held a series of lectures in Chickering Hall, 
a beautifully appointed auditorium on the seventh 
floor of the Lord & Taylor Store. These were well 
attended and proved a pleasant way of interesting 
the public in some of the current books. This fea- 
ture will be continued by the Book Shop in the autumn. 



This is a very attractive advertisement, because of its simplicity and its genera! 
observance of right motives. The typography and decoration are excellent. The 
form is not quite right. If it had been made | inch shorter it would have been an 
optical square, whereas it is too long for that, and too short for the right oblong. 



184 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



advertiser's cause is a good one. Even a thief will 
hesitate to betray trust. This simple request is 
enough to build up in the minds of most men a con- 
viction of quality. Just because they are asked to 
ask any man they find using that kind of an auto- 
mobile they know that there is no reason to ask. 

No variety of advertising needs to be done with 
more care, and more strict observance of the teach- 
ings of psychology and art, than this decorative, or 
suggestive, advertising. There is a certain point at 
which the mind arrives in its journey toward that 
conviction which results in action at which it may 
be deflected this way or that with the greatest ease — 
if the touch is just right, and applied at just the right 
moment. It is this touch, applied exactly right, that 
the decorative advertisement is planned to give. 
If it tries to administer a rough push, or to apply its 
gentle push at the wrong instant, it fails utterly. 
The mind does not hesitate to examine the quality 
of the decorative motive. It feels it as it is on its 
way; and if the instant sensation is not agreeable it is 
not diverted or influenced. The touch must be as 
light as the kiss of a mother on the cheek of a sleeping 
child. The child is not awakened, but it feels the 
kiss, and responds to the loving caress, in its mind. 
Because of the kiss, and the vast store of devotion 
the child knows lies back of it, the child responds to 
the mother's desires. 




A Miss is as good as her Smile 








Perfects the Smile 



igk. Morning Rush 
^ On The Tube 




These car-cards have been very popular and successful, on account of the very 
clever slogans, or suggestive phrases. As to the designs, one is obliged to remember 
the necessities of the car -card. It must be on a scale that can easily be read at a 
considerable distance from the eye. Yet it seems that the tube need not have been 
quite as large, the lettering might have been more gracefully in harmony with the 
decorative motive, and the several units might have been "tied in" by some de- 
vice to delimit their field. 






p 

THE DECORATIVE ADVERTISEMENT 185 

There are advertisements which should be num- 
bered in this cla;ss that have no artistic decorative 
motive. They are strictly suggestive advertise- 
ments, though the suggestion may be a printed 
phrase, in type. They may be called shibboleth 
advertisements. We have used two of the more 
famous of these shibboleths, but as they always oc- 
curred in connection with decorative motives we have 
so classed them. In a list of great advertising suc- 
cesses these shibboleth advertisements would be 
named near the top. 



I 



CHAPTER XIII 

DECOKATIONS 

DESIGNERS of advertising have not carefully 
enough studied the value of the decoration in 
advertising, used in the right way. The office 
of the decoration is not to make a florid piece of 
decorated typography, the chief visual interest in 
which would be the work of the artist. It is to give 
that delicate touch which in itself is inconsequential, 
modest, lacking in "punch," but which, while it 
attracts the eye for a fraction of a second does not 
hold it long enough to allow the mind to undertake 
a critical estimate of it. 

The little decorative touch often operates to catch 
the mind and open it to the catch line of the text. It 
does more than this: It gives the advertisement an 
atmosphere of attractiveness which wins for it the 
attention of many readers who otherwise would 
pass it utterly unnoticed. It is quite true that an 
advertisement may be so carefully and rightly de- 
signed as to be itself, in and of itself, a decorative feat- 
ure on the page, and thus supply the attraction men- 
tioned. This may happen — it does happen; and 

186 



DECORATIONS 187 

when it happens the matter of the use of a decorative 
feature is automatically settled. But it happens 
rarely. It does not happen sufficiently often to 
constitute an argument against the use of decorative 
motives, but for them 

What shall the decoration be? Not anything that 
happens to be lying about unused. It is a matter to 
think about, and think in the right direction. While 
it is not necessary to insist that the decorative unit 
for an advertisement of sausages shall be a young pig, 
or a puppy, nor yet a border formed of links of sausage, 
it is proper that it be something that suggests some 
gastronomic pleasure. But it is not necessary that 
it shall arouse appetite. What is necessary is that 
it shall help to make the advertisement pleasing to 
the eye, and not lead the mind away from the idea 
of a breakfast with sausage for a side dish. And it 
is necessary that the decoration shall not take to it- 
self any permanent interest that might otherwise be 
centred upon the argument of the text. The decora- 
tion must slip out of the mind as soon as it has in- 
veigled the mind to attend to the suggestion of the 
text. It must not go so far as to furnish the "eye 
spot" of the advertisement, as the eye will return 
again and again to such a spot, and very likely it will 
become irritated and turn from the advertisement, 
and the reader will have an imacknowledged feeling of 
resentment for having been driven away. It is 




If arric 01 ^ # 



Units like these may be used to make advertisements distinctive. They are in- 
expensive, and offer great variety to the man who grubs. 






W^«SP 





# «9i. "^ ^p^-5^ 



The type founders furnish hundreds of ornaments similzu- to these, which can b« 
used in advertising designing with good effect. 



190 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

fatally easy to so place a floret as to give it about all 
of the initial attention value, and the floret need not 
be a very large one. 

The chief consideration in selecting an ornament 
is that it help to make the advertisement more 
pleasing as a picture, and not directly antagonize the 
motive. Too much importance must not be attached 
to the frequent mention of the desirability of having 
the physical motive of the advertisement suggest the 
text motive. Not only is it frequently impossible 
to effect this, but it is often undesirable. First of 
all, the advertisement must be a picture. After that 
is provided for, if it is still possible, the picture may 
lead toward the selling motive of the advertisement. 
But it is always to be borne in mind that when it is 
possible for the advertisement to arouse in the mind 
of the reader an agreeable sensation the buying 
instinct is ready to follow, at least so far as to inquire 
of the text what it is that is being offered for sale. 
If we can get the mind thus far it may be assumed 
that the object of the advertisement has been ac- 
complished, so far as its appearance can accomplish it. 

It is always also to be remembered that the wise 
advertiser often recognizes the necessity of not re- 
vealing what it is he has for sale until it is done 
through the argument of the text. If the physical 
advertisement is too plain in its appeal, in the case 
of many articles, the reader will at once make his 



DECORATIONS 191 

decision that he does not desire to purchase and pass 
on without reading the text, which might convince 
him that he does really wish to obtain the advantages 
set forth in the text but which could not be suggested 
in the advertisement picture. All depends upon the 
nature of the article to be sold. If it is a staple, and 
its merits are well known to relatively all readers, 
then it is only a suggestion of its name that is needed 
to clinch the sale. This has been the assumption of 
advertisers who have used the '^shibboleth" adver- 
tising, and have depended upon a cleverly illustrated 
and decorated advertisement and such sententious 
copy as "Ask the man who owns one," "A miss is as 
good as her smile," "It floats," and the like. Sooner 
or later the reasons that lie behind these shibboleths 
fade from the minds of readers, and their selling 
power dwindles. All of these advertisers mentioned, 
and many others who have used this style of near- 
copy, have reverted to descriptive copy. There are 
thousands of new buyers coming into the market 
every day, and they do not bring with them the 
obsessions of their elders. Advertisements of house- 
hold articles are of no interest to young people until 
they become housekeepers themselves, and then they 
have got to be taught the alphabet of household 
economy. 

So in selecting the ornamental units of the advertise- 
ment the first consideration is to make sure that they 




Here are some Japanese decorative drawings in line from geometric and pure 
line motives. They may be adapted with good effect, and used to give the adver- 
tisements something out of the ordinary in the way of a bit of simple decoration. 



ft 




The Japanese are adepts in the art of ringing many changes on artistic motives. 
Here they have made decorative pieces from animal and bird life. Some of thero 
may be utilized to adorn advertisements that need something out of the ordinary. , 




There are an unlimited number of good imits similar to these available. These 
are Japanese drawings from flower motives. They may be enlarged, made blacker, 
or reduced to fit the need of the designer of advertisements. 



d 




No artistic motive is as universally attractive as the Svastika. Here are some of 
the adaptations made by Japanese artists. Given treatment, in way of strengthen- 
ing, enlarging, or reducing, they may be used in advertisements. 



196 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

harmonize with the typography and help to make an 
agreeable picture, and the secondary thought should 
be the leading of the mind toward the selling argu- 
ment of the text. 

The designer need not take this matter of decora- 
tion too seriously. It is not a matter that should 
add largely to the expense of the design. It is 
usually not necessary to employ an artist, especially 
if the advertisement is plain typography, as we may 
well assume, taking it for granted that if there is 
illustration it will provide all the decorative material 
necessary, and if it happens to be a hand-lettered 
proposition, that fact will make any special decorative 
feature superfluous. 

There are, we are told, but a certain limited num- 
ber of basic decorative units. There are commercial 
artists who never pretend to create anything new in 
decoration. They have several books in which are 
shown the fundamental forms, and they select 
that which seems most appropriate and adapt it, 
as to size, tone, etc., or blend it with the type, border, 
or illustration. They make combinations, and use 
portions of units. A little labor and forethought will 
enable a designer of advertising to supply himself 
with basic decorative designs ample for all occasions. 
And if it sometimes seems desirable for him to get an 
artist to make a special ornament, he may have 
such knowledge of the range and tastes of com- 



I 



DECORATIONS 197 

mercial artists as will enable him to make his selection 
without either delay or unnecessary expense for 
trials. 

One of the better known of the commercial artists 
issues a catalog of his work from which there may be 
selected almost anything needed in ordinary adver- 
tising, and sells electrotypes at low rates. Another 
artist is known to specialize in variations of the lotus 
flower, and if his work is required he has a wide range 
of samples from which some unit may be selected 
and redrawn. The Japanese artists have a very 
clever facility in making imusual decorative imits. 
Their treatment is unlike that of our own artists, 
and there are books of their designs available. Some 
of these clever and usable designs are shown on other 
pages. Two or three of these books would enable 
the designer to make attractive advertisements with- 
out number, and each with its touch of individuality 
in the artistic decoration that would tend to make it 
noticeable and pleasing. 

But it requires study, to know what to use; search, 
to find the right thing without unnecessary expense; 
and cleverness, to enable the designer so to adapt 
and place the ornament as to make it help. It is 
not safe to trust to the printer. He may know what 
ought to be done, but he is almost certain to use 
something that he has in stock, irrespective of its 
appropriateness. The best way is to find your own 



198 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

ornament, or have it made. If one of these shown in 
a type-specimen book, it will cost from 10 cents to 
half a dollar, and if the designer is worthy of the name 
he will be able so to use it as to give it the distinction 
of a specially drawn piece. If a designer is not able 
to do this — to take common material and so arrange 
it as to give his work individual distinction — ^he is not 
a designer in the right sense, and should lose no time 
in taking courses of study to qualify himself. 

There are printers who habitually use common 
faces of type and ordinary type-foundry borders, 
decorations, and illustrations, who yet put into their 
product so much distinction and individuality that 
they are reckoned artists, and much of their work is 
thought to be hand lettered or made with special 
type and material. The writer of this has been 
deceived by this class of work. Once, he remembers 
with a certain sense of chagrin, he puzzled over a 
book made by an artistic printer, trying to identify 
the type used. When he finally asked the printer 
he was informed that it was one of the commonest 
of all the common faces. The printer had success- 
fully disguised it, chiefly by unique method of spacing 
and leading, and care in adjusting capitals, etc. He 
had produced a book page unlike any other page ever 
made with that type, and it deceived many typo- 
graphic experts. A big publishing house attempted 
to follow his style, but the page it produced had none 




Don't worry if you've spoiled your 
work* Make a fresh beginning. Your 
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any number of fresh starts, without 
becoming mussy. 

Strathmore 

Artists* Papers 
and Boards 

No matter what medium you prefer, Strathmore drawing 
papers and boards are best for all purposes. Their wide 
range includes Water-Color Papers, Charcoal Papers and 
illustration Boards. If your dealer doesn't sell Strathmore, 
write us for sample book and we will s^snd you a list of dealers. 




Strathmore Paper Company 

Mitdneague^ Mass., U. S. A. 



Example of ornaments used to relieve the bareness of plain typography, and 
at the same time illustrate the text and carry along the advertiser's trademark. 



200 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

of the individual character of the page taken as a 
model, and no printer's apprentice could fail to 
identify the type used. 

Type itself, if cleverly handled, is a very good 
decorative material. With a simple border, a floret 
or two, and the swash letters that are made to go with 
it, the original Caslon type (The American Type 
Founders Company's No. 471) is adapted to the 
making of decorative advertisements that cannot be 
rivalled by any work by the best commercial artists. 
If the very best type effects are desired this com- 
bination will give them. 

It is often argued that type, by reason of the letters 
being of necessity on bodies that must be wholly in- 
dependent and wholly self-contained, produces blank 
spaces in reading matter after and between certain 
letters which tend to destroy that perfect tone that 
may be secured by hand lettering. This is true, but 
much of the trouble can be avoided if the typographer 
is not too tender of his types. Let him shave the 
bodies of those letters that make wide spaces until 
they fit as they should; or let him cut into the body of 
one offending letter to let the next fit against it as it 
should. A little fitting will produce the effect de- 
sired, and only half a dozen letters will be spoiled for 
other work; perhaps no more than one or two. 

This is a matter worthy of the study of the am- 
bitious typographer or the resourceful advertisement 



DECORATIONS 201 

designer. It is entirely possible for those skilled in 
the use of type, and having imagination to guide their 
decorative instincts, to turn out work in this way that 
will put three fourths of the designed advertisements 
in the discard; and it is so much less expensive that it 
is very well worth studying and trying. Of course, 
there are other type faces adaptable for this style of 
work besides the 471 Caslon. 

It is with some degree of hesitation that we make 
use of the Strathmore advertisement to illustrate 
this matter of ornamentation. It is generally a good 
advertisement, calculated to win the attention of 
artists; though it might have scaled down several 
points as to size of the display type without detract- 
ing from its attractive power. 

There are here two ornaments, one to guide the 
mind toward the selling argument, and one ap- 
parently to fix in the reader's mind one of the marks 
used by the company to identify its literature, 
though there is about it nothing to inform the reader 
that this is its object. The thistle ornament does 
two imdesirable things: It pulls the optical centre 
of the advertisement well below the optical centre of 
the space in which it is placed, and it furnishes the 
most powerful eye-attractor near to the end of the 
text. The word "Strathmore'' is bound to be seen, 
but the next thing the eye does is to jump to the 
thistle mark; and then it will naturally desert the 



I 



202 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

advertisement, and move on to the next page. If 
this is what the advertisement is for — to get the word 
"Strathmore'' and the thistle mark into the mind of 
the reader, without the argument of the text — it is 
an admirably designed advertisement, and the thistle 
mark, placed at the end of the text, is doing just 
what it is desired it shall do. The mark at the top 
is neither strong nor vital enough to hold and direct 
the attention to the text. It is the weakest of the 
three optical features, of which the thistle mark is the 
strongest and most agreeable. The top decoration 
is grotesque as well as weak and lacking punch, and 
tends to suggest to the reader that the argument of 
the text may be expected to be humorously insincere 
— which is a suggestion that will not help the sale 
of drawing papers to artists. If these decorative 
features had been reversed, the thistle mark placed 
at the top and the sick-looking person at the bottom, 
and the text matter pushed up half an inch, the 
advertisement would have been something like 50 
per cent, better, simply as a picture for the eye to 
take iA on its journey through the magazine in which 
the advertisement was placed. 

People who like to distribute mottoes, and the 
like, often tell us that Michaelangelo, who appears 
to have been something of a pedagogue as well as 
much of an artist, once remarked that "Trifles make 
perfection, and perfection is no trifle." This is 



II 







n4:xifion^mfe] 



um%)i^)^ 




I 

I Lettering and photograph of the rugged pine are so harmonious in motive as to 
'make a pleasing composition, suggestive of the character of the contents of the 
special issue of the paper — a good advertisement for it. 



204 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

strikingly true in this matter of decoration for adver- 
^sements. It is such a small matter to drop a floret, 
a bit of a drawing, a piece of border, a small portrait, 
or something "to lighten it up, you know/' that 
suflScient thought and care are often withheld when 
it is done. Something that is handy, and that is 
about right as to size, is what gets in too often. If 
it is worth while to use any ornament it is worth 
while to use the right one. If the right one is not 
available, dismiss from the mind the idea of using any. 
A blank unit of space is vastly better than an orna- 
ment that is inappropriate as to design, size, tone, or 
character. But it is not necessary to forego the 
use of the ornament that is obviously necessary. 
There are plenty of them available, and plenty of 
motives for the making of as many as are needed. 



CHAPTER XIV 

OPTICS AND THE ADVERTISEMENT 

TO MAKE an advertisement look right, and 
tempting to the eye, we are forced to consider 
the eye itself. It is usually in agreement with 
the tenets of art, which we have thought of, but not 
always. 

The eye is a sort of reflector, curved so that it may 
note more than that which lies directly in front of it. 
Like other organs of the body, it has been changing 
to adapt itself to the times. It has habits, limita- 
tions, preferences — preferences which are puzzling and 
tend to many mistakes, if we do not know about them 
and heed what they teach us. 

The eye is a shirk. It will not willingly attend to 
that which makes it work. We can force it to do 
some things it dislikes, but in the matter of reading 
advertisements we are not inclined to ask it to do 
anything at all. The advertisement must appeal 
to us. We are not going out of our way to read any- 
thing that is not attractive, and we surely will not 
overwork our eyes trying to get that out of adver- 
tisements which does not show at the first glance. 

S05 



206 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

The eyes will not willingly read print, for example, 
if it is not arranged to suit them — if the lines are too 
long, too close together, or too far apart; if the type 
is not properly designed, and composed as it should 
be. The eye is looking for pictures all the time, 
and it likes masses toned just right as well as right 
in contour. It will stop if it is pleased, and invite 
the mind to read that which is fashioned to suit it. 

The eye instinctively conserves its powers. It is 
well that it is so, as we are so inconsiderate with it. 
If we were able to force it to do all that we would like 
to have it do, it would not, made as it is, last us until 
we could graduate from the high school. The eye, 
fortunately, knows what it can do and what it cannot 
do. It refuses to undertake work that is beyond its 
powers, or that is disagreeable. But, like all good 
servants, it may be bullied into trying to do some 
things it cannot easily do. So we have among us 
oculists, opticians, many kinds of glasses, and also the 
blind. 

It is necessary now and here only to note that the 
eye must be humored in advertising if advertising is 
to be read; and to remember that the percentage of 
efficiency of advertising depends upon that initial 
attractiveness which induces people to stop, look, 
read. That advertisement which is brought, by the 
shifting of the pages of the newspaper or the maga- 
zine, within the field of vision must be attractive 



OPTICS AND THE ADVERTISEMENT 207 

to the eye or it is not reported to the mind as worth 
reading. If it is to attract the eye it must be com- 
posed in accordance with those facts we have learned 
about the eye. 

The eye picks up that which appeals to it as a pic- 
ture. We have been into that question in the chap- 
ter on art. The process of getting something noted 
by the eye into the mind is purely mechanical. The 
image the eye sees is given to the sensory nerves, 
they pass it on to the nerves that take it to the 
muscles that operate the brain. Then comes the 
crucial moment. If the initial impression, through 
the eyes, has been favorable the image is sent along 
to the brain with a recommendation that the adver- 
tisement be read. If the image that has impressed 
itself upon the eyes is not one to create a favorable 
sensation, the message that goes along with it does 
not cause further attention. The brain acts, but 
adversely. 

Now, it is possible to get the attention of the eye 
to a disagreeable image. It is done in advertising. 
We see a certain attractive feature — a line of type or 
a picture — and we turn from it, and go on with our 
reading, without even taking the trouble to note 
what the advertisement is about. The message had 
gone along the nerves to the brain to the effect that 
it was not worth while reading the advertisement. 
The image was sent along via the sensory nerves. 



208 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

That could not be prevented, if the image was within 
the powers of the eye to "pick up'' automatically. 
But when the image was transferred to the brain 
muscles, from the sensory nerves, discrimination 
began to be employed. Images that are gathered 
by the eyes — a constant succession of them—^are 
filtered in this journey from the sensory nerves to 
the brain, and many of them are never turned into 
attention action. 

This must be so. Otherwise we would not be 
able to give attention to all of the requests for atten- 
tion that would be pressed upon the brain. The 
image must suggest something of value or interest 
to gain attention. These sensory nerves are like the 
passages and elevators in a big oflSce building — they 
allow whoever wishes to traverse them. The nerves 
that take the image from the sensory nerves, and 
carry it along toward the brain, are like the office 
boys who receive our cards as we enter the offices 
in which are the men we may wish to see. They 
report our presence to the private secretaries, who 
take a look at us, and ask us something about our 
desires and business. They are the muscles that 
lead to the brain, and if they decide that we are not 
of sufficient interest or importance to see the man in 
the inner office, who has the power to further our 
plans, we are not allowed to proceed farther. The 
man in the inner office, with power to act or order 



' OPTICS AND THE ADVERTISEMENT 209 

action, is like the brain. We have to get at him or 
our plans fall to the ground. We have to get at the 
brain, which orders and permits action, or our adver- 
tisement is of no use — is inefficient, a money waster. 

It is therefore not enough to attract the notice of 
the eye; we must attract the favorable notice of the 
eye. How this may be done we are told by the 
science of optics; that science which tells us what the 
eye can do and will do, and what it cannot and will 
not try to do. 

What can the eye "pick up'' without effort? 
What can the eye read without effort.^ If we know 
this, and know it so well that we always will observe 
it in practice, we will never put that into an adver- 
tisement which is beyond the powers of the eye, be- 
cause we will know that it is futile to do so, and that 
if we do so we will be wasting money — throwing it 
wantonly away. 

A clever professor has devised a clever instrument 
that enables him to measure the capacity and gauge 
the limits of the eye in the act of reading. It shows 
how we read, and what we can read. It tells adver- 
tisers what they must avoid, in the making of their 
advertisements, if they wish to have them read. It 
is perfectly reliable in its reports. It makes a chart 
that shows exactly how the eye is affected by that 
which it is required to read. It shows how much the 
eye can take in at one glance. 



210 



HOW TO ADVERTISE 



The range of the eye, along a line of print, is about 
three to four inches, according to the size and design 
of the type. To read a line longer than this requires 
special exertion, and we are not likely to call upon 
the eye to make it unless there is some very special 
reason. To read lines longer than three and a half 




Diagram showing the action of the eye in reading. 

inches, in ordinary type, requires that the head be 
moved as well as the eyes. And if the head is 
moved, to bring the eyes into another focus, the eyes 
do not take kindly to it. 

So in setting advertising matter the lines of the 
text should in no case be more than four inches long 



OPTICS AND THE ADVERTISEMENT 211 

if the type is about twelve point, and three inches 
if the type is ten point or smaller. Look at the chart 
published here, and note that the action of the eye 
becomes "wobbly" at the ends of the lines, and the 
spaces taken in with one glance, or fixation, are 
shorter. It is when the eye begins to labor that it 
begins to shirk. It wants to quit a job that is painful 
to it. It will drop an article if it is hard to read, if it 
can. We can force it to go on reading print that is 
not made easy for it, but it will in the end have 
its revenge. It will finally rebel, and then the 
oculist has to be called in, and resort had to glasses. 
It is necessary to know how much reading matter 
can be taken up by the eye without any effort at all 
— ^how large a space in the advertisement is mirrored 
on the eye without any effort to read the adver- 
tisement. The catch line must come within these 
limits or it will not be noticed as many times by 
readers. The area seen by the unmoving eye is 
about one square inch, though the field of this in- 
voluntary vision is not usually a perfect square. It 
is something like this : 



212 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

This does not mean that more space is not within 
the range of the eye, but that this is what the eye 
clearly identifies. It really is sensible of much more, 
but it does not clearly identify more. That is, it 
would not be able to read text outside of the area 
noted without making some effort, without moving 
in its socket; and that means that there would have 
to be some incentive. When the eye has been auto- 
matically attracted by that which is mirrored on its 
reflecting surface without effort, it is likely to make 
some effort to discover what lies outside that area. 
The temptation to do so must be found in the 
restricted area — that is, in the catch line. 

As the time element is important, it is well to know 
what is the speed of the eye in reading. If we are 
advertising in newspapers we have to consider that 
most readers are unable or unwilling to give much 
time to the advertising. We must get our message 
into the fewest possible words if we hope to have it 
read by people who are not seeking for it. Elaborate 
experiments have been made to determine how fast 
people read. In one test twenty readers were em- 
ployed, and it was found that the average speed with 
which they read was about five and a half words a 
second, or 330 words a minute. This is rapid read- 
ing — about a page of an ordinary novel each minute. 
It would make it possible to read a book of 400 pages 
in six and two thirds hours. Many people go 




IMPORTED 



GingferAle 

Order lay the Doaen 

from your Wine Merchant or Groceir 

for Use at Hotl^e 



Good optical attraction — can be taken in as the eye flits over the page 



214 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

through a novel in a long evening, but they do not 
read every page. Indeed, it is fair to assume that 
they thoroughly read very few pages. Yet for one 
or two minutes this speed can be maintained. 

How many minutes can you expect readers to 
devote to your advertisement? As a matter of fact, 
this is an important consideration. There is not a 
man or woman, probably, who looks advertisements 
over but passes many because they have too much 
reading matter. They notice them, read the display 
lines of some, but have not the time or the courage 
to attack the masses of text. And that advertise- 
ment which is not read is lost. This is a question of 
copy, it is true, and it is also true that we agreed in 
the beginning that we would not discuss copy. We 
are not discussing copy as copy, but as a mass of 
typography that has to be considered. If there is 
too much copy it is not possible for the designer to 
make an advertisement that will be read. It is 
plain that the advertisement with no more than from 
100 to 400 words will stand a much better chance of 
being read by many more people than will the adver- 
tisement the text of which contains from 500 to 
several thousand words. I am as curious about ad- 
vertising as anybody, and I never take up a paper 
that I do not pass over several advertisements that 
I wish to read but cannot, because there is so much 
text. The average commuter has from thirty minutes 



9 

OPTICS AND THE ADVERTISEMENT 215 

to an hour to devote to his newspaper. How many 
of these minutes will he give up to the reading of 
advertising? It is safe to conclude that he will not 
read advertisements that require from five to ten 
minutes' time. He may read, or absorb, two or three 
minute advertisements. 

Advertisers should take advantage of the modern 
accomplishment of absorbing instead of reading in 
the old sense. Busy people rarely go carefully 
through any article or advertisement. They glance 
over it, take in the high lights, and form a conclusion. 
They absorb print. Many people who are forced 
to read much get the faculty of getting the sense of 
the page by glancing over it, and get the sense of 
advertising by picking up the features other than the 
body of the text. It is this that advertisement de- 
signers have to consider. The advertisement should 
tell its story in the two or three optical features that 
are absorbed with little halting of the eye as it speeds 
over the page. The text amplifies for those few who 
have time for it. To get this faculty of appealing 
to action through the display features of the adver- 
tisement should be the aim of the designer. 

And it is clearly apparent that the advertising 
designer must know just what he is licensed to call 
upon the eye to do. It is futile to suppose that 
people are interested in advertising, per se. They 
are not. Their interest has got to be aroused, and 



216 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

aroused by the advertising itself. It has got to be 
aroused by the physical appearance of the adver- 
tising. In no other way whatever can attention be 
drawn to advertising. Those people who con- 
sciously seek out advertising are a very small pro- 
portion of people who must be won by advertising 
if it is to be justified. A small proportion of women 
readers of newspapers look for something specific in 
the department store advertising; but the value of 
that advertising nevertheless is largely in the inci- 
dental appeal it makes to these seekers. They see 
things they are not looking for — if the physical features 
are alluring enough to deflect their attention from the 
planned search — and the net of their buying is likely 
to go far above the cost of the sought-for article. 

The germ of the advertisement is in the copy, but 
much can be done with very poor copy if the designer 
is able to manipulate it to the best advantage. To 
do this he must know all there is to know about the 
eye, so far as its action and habits in reading are 
'concerned, aud so far as its general automatic capaci- 
ties go. Generally, if the designer can dismiss from 
his mind his professional predispositions and prej- 
udices, and consider himself an ordinary reader, he 
can test this optical quality of the advertisement upon 
himself; and his test will be all the more valuable to 
the advertiser if it is conducted with all the eye 
knowledge he can get clearly in mind. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE FORM OF THE ADVERTISEMENT 

IT IS important that the form and dimensions 
of the advertisement be carefully considered. 
It is a waste of money to make an advertise- 
ment too long, or too wide, if by doing so it is made 
optically unattractive. We have learned that the eye 
asks for forms proportioned in accordance with a 
few simple rules, which have been definitely ascer- 
tained. We also know that certain forms are agree- 
able to the eye, while many others are not so agree- 
able. It follows as a logical deduction that if those 
forms or dimensions that we know are disagreeable 
to the eye are used the advertising for which they 
are used will not therefore be benefited. Its value 
will be limited and lowered. Thus, an advertise- 
ment made an inch longer than the dimensions of 
the "Golden Section" is not as valuable as one made 
to conform to that standard, but it costs more. 
There is therefore a two dimension loss — the excess 
of original cost and the shrinkage in attention value. 
What this loss may be cannot even be approximately 
stated. It is possible that in some cases it might 

217 




This is an almost successful attempt to use a circle within a rectangle. Small fea- 
tures in the comers of the enclosing square would have made the design right — and 
if the first line of type had balanced in length the firm name. 




Showing how to adjust an oval or a circle to the rectangular frame of an advertise- 
ment. Detail of ceiling in New York City Hall. Grosvenor Atterbury and John 
Tompkins, architects. 



220 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

go far up the scale toward an almost total loss, while 
in others there might be features of the advertise- 
ment so exceptionally attractive as to largely oflFset 
these losses. 

An advertisement using the full column of a news- 
paper, or of one of the large folio magazines, takes 
chances that need not be taken, and requires excep- 
tionally careful treatment. The eye cannot be 
cajoled or forced to waive its preferences. It is 
never influenced in the slightest by the considerations 
that induce the advertiser to use abnormal shapes. 
When he considers rates, position, his copy, or any- 
thing else other than the few forms the eye will Wel- 
come, he is gambling with the chances against him. 
The full column is a diflScult form to handle and still 
make it attractive to the eye. It does not, as a 
whole, compose into any optical unit that can be 
taken in at once. The only thing that can be done 
is to divide the space into several form units, and 
connect them in such a manner as will toll the eye 
along from one section to the next, and assist in the 
flow of the argument toward its conclusion at the 
bottom, which may be two or three units beyond the 
natural termination of the obvious optical unit with 
which the advertisement began. The idea is that the 
eye sees pictures, and that its field of fixed vision 
is limited. If in a long advertisement the eye is 
conscious of only a section of a picture, not in itself 



THE FORM OF THE ADVERTISEMENT 221 

of interest because it is a fragment, it may not take 
the trouble to seek for the balance of the picture; 
and when it does so it is embarrassed because the 
picture is not all at any one instant upon its retina. 
It requires too much effort to study and retain 
the elongated picture of the long, narrow advertise- 
ment. 

It is this necessity to adjust incongruous elements, 
and endeavor to make a picture of advertisements 
which are not built into the semblance of a picture, 
that makes advertisements the elements of which 
are not properly assembled — that are not composed 
in an artistic sense — lacking in initial attraction, 
( and therefore not likely to bring results up to the 
expectations of the advertisers. Making these ad- 
justments is in the nature of labor which the eye is 
not likely to undertake. The work must be done by 
the designer of the advertisements. If it is not done, 
if advertisements are left incomplete, as pictures, 
they will not be eflScient. 

Owing to the fact that all periodicals in which 
advertisements are printed are rectangular in shape, 
it is necessary that all advertisements be designed 
as rectangles, or adjusted to the rectangular motives 
of the mediums in which they are printed. Nothing 
can be said against circles, ovals, diamond shapes, 
or any other form of outline, as such. But they 
are only useful as contours of advertisements as 




Here is an advertisement made without considering conflicting contours. Tl 
oval is not reconciled to the rectangular page; the oval of the decorative mark is n< 
reconciled to the oval contour of the advertisement; the typography is a rectangli 
not reconciled to the oval of the advertisement. There are four forms conflictini 
for attention, creating an optical discord, when if they had been properly adjusi 
they all would have cobperated to make a pleasing optical efifect. 



wBgem 




ISVT Ten Jgencies. Be- 
hold typewriters y telephones y 
desks y chairs y Globe-^JVer- 
nickeSy waste baskets y carpets. 
Standard equipment. T'hen 
note the men behind the desks. 
Their ability and their time 
— that is all you can buy. 

CHELTENHAM 

Advertising Agency , he. 




«• KAST 36TM STREET 
NEW YORK 



Here is an advertisement, the antithesis of that on the opposite page, all of the 
lontours of which are harmonious, with the rectangular page and with each other, 
rhe only flaw, in this respect, is the imprint. Had it been set in one line, in the 
measure of the body of the text, there would have been no ground for criticism, so 
far as this matter of harmonious forms is concerned. 



224 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

they are adjusted to rectangles. A circular adver- 
tisement may be very attractive in itself, yet very 
unattractive when printed on a rectangular page, 
because it appeals to the eye when it is accustomed 
to the squared shapes, and leaves corner spaces un- 
accounted for. These corner spaces are offensive 
to the eye unless they are in some way brought into 
the composition, to unite the circle to the rectangle. 
It is, of course, a simple matter to do this, but a 
matter that is often neglected. The same considera- 
tions apply also to the oval, of course, as apply to 
the circle. Its use on a rectangular page leaves 
corner spots that are optical vacuums, and operate 
also to destroy proportional harmony. They make 
the reader conscious of the contours that are within 
his field of vision, whereas there should be no such 
consciousness to interfere with the attraction of the 
advertisement. What advertisers call '"attention 
value" should be sought for the suggestion of the 
advertisement, not for its physical form. 

The mistake made by many designers is that un- 
usual or striking forms for advertisements lead to 
that sort of attention which brings results. The 
truth about forms for advertisements is that they 
should be inconspicuous. It is not good policy to 
induce the reader to give attention to the form of the 
advertisement. That should be conventional, and 
merely so carefully adjusted that it will be con- 



f 



THE FORM OF THE ADVERTISEMENT 225 

spicuous because it is inconspicuous. It should be a 

part of the picture the advertisement should always 

be, and that picture should not be pronounced enough 

in character to induce the reader to linger to examine 

it, or exercise his critical judgment with respect to it. 

We come in contact with advertisements meant to 

' attract attention through the use of unusual or 

contorted forms in all mediums, and they never 

arouse agreeable attention. It may be that we are 

attracted by the very grotesqueness of some forms, 

' but we are not pleased to be so attracted, and we are 

I not tempted thereby to read or study the advertise- 

' ments. 

Well-balanced people are not attracted to a man 

\ who unfortunately has one paralyzed or shortened 

leg, one shoulder lower than the other, one club foot, 

or whose methods of eating have resulted in giving 

him an enormous corpulence. Human beauty is 

based upon normality and close harmony with 

standard dimensions. A certain weight is propor- 

! tioned to a certain height, and between all the bodily 

! proportions there is a law of resemblance that must 

I be closely approximated if the resulting human being 

I is to be agreeable to fellow humans who see him. It 

I is not variations, but resemblances, that go to make 

I perfect physical humans. So with advertising design 

I it is not the strange, the unusual, the unique, the 

! grotesque, that attract the sort of attention the ad- 



This is an optical, or apparent, square, though if tested with a rule it will be found 
to be somewhat broader than it is high — three per cent, broader. This represents 
the allowance that has to be made by a designer who wishes to use a square form for 
his advertisement. An exact square is not an agreeable form, since the optical 
error makes it appear to be itself an error. 



This is an exact square, though to most eyes it will appear to be higher than it is 
broad. It does not look like a perfect square. 



This figure is the true "Golden Section," or oblong- 
tion for an advertisement that is not a square. 



-the most agreeable propor- 




This is a true oval, with the proportions of the "Golden Section." There are 
many other ovals, varying from the dimensions of this, as there may be many rectan- 
gles. But.this is the better for advertising, because it is the most agreeable to the eye. 



230 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

vertisement must get, but the close adhesions to the 
normal, the usual, the familiar, the standards. 

It is safe to conclude at the beginning of advertising 
thought and practice that there are but a few forms 
for advertisements that it is worth while to consider, 
ever. The square and the circle are twins. The 
oblong rectangle and the oval are another set of 
twins. The circle must be adjusted to the square, 
and the oval to the oblong rectangle. Actually, 
therefore, there are but two forms that are to be 
recommended — the square and the oblong rectangle. 
Whatever is done within these forms must har- 
monize with them. It is understood that if the 
advertisement has no border the space in which it is 
placed answers for its form. 

The dimensions of the oblong rectangle have been 
alluded to in another chapter. The square must be 
3 per cent, longer on its base than its height, to 
compensate for an optical habit that makes us see 
higher than long. The oval must be fashioned upon 
the dimensions of the rectangular oblong— the 
"Golden Section." 

There are other forms than these used in adver- 
tising, notably the elongated rectangular oblong, 
as the single column, and the shallow advertisement 
running across a magazine page or two newspaper 
columns. These forms are not as commonly used as 
once they were, and will perhaps disappear after a 



THE FORM OF THE ADVERTISEMENT 281 

time. We find many modifications of all these forms, 
and others we have not mentioned, in use, apparentlj^ 
on the theorj^ that the more unusual the form the 
greater the attention value of the advertisement. 
This is a radically wrong theory, though it is not 
easy to demonstrate it to be so. It is not easy to 
prove any assertion about advertising. There are 
not enough digested data. That which has proved 
successful and profitable for one advertiser might 
send another to the bankruptcy court. This matter 
of form rests more upon general principles that have 
been proved and adopted in art than upon anything 
that has been developed through their use in adver- 
tising. There are practically no principles in adver- 
tising practice that have been evolved from the prac- 
tice of advertising. They are so universal as to 
warrant the assumption that they must apply also 
in advertising. 

The wise designer of advertising will save himself 
much trouble if he dismisses this matter of the form 
of his advertising with the resolution to refrain from 
trying to improve upon the judgment of the genera- 
tions of artists who have been constantly seeking for 
those forms that are most agreeable to the eyes of 
men and women, and that lend themselves most 
readily to the necessities that have always confronted 
them in the creative work they have done. There 
is plenty of scope within the contours of the adver- 



232 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

tisement for all the originality that can be generated 
by the most ardent and productive man. The ar- 
rangement of the units of an advertisement de- 
mands great talent, and gives scope for all the graphic 
art ability any man may be possessed of • 



^!99 



I 
I 



CHAPTER XVI 



GETTING THE COPY READY 



THE designer of the advertisement is interested 
in having the copy written in such fashion as 
to make good display possible. It is often 
necessary to do violence to literary form, and some- 
times even to grammar, so to arrange the features of 
copy that they lend themselves to the needs of the 
designer. Many advertisements that might be so 
changed as to be effective die at this point. Copy 
may be as good as gold, but if it cannot be molded 
into an attractive design, so that the eyes of the 
reader may be induced to linger long enough for the 
catch line, or the decorative feature, to get into the 
brain, the advertisement dies at the beginning. 
Reasonable copy writers will cooperate with the 
designers. Good copy writers take care of this 
matter without being prompted. It is as necessary 
to provide good display lines at points where they 
are needed as it is to make the literary appeal. It 
is actually more essential, because, as we are all the 
time insisting, the advertisement is not of any value 
unless it is noticed. Whether it is read after it is 

233 



234 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

noticed is more particularly a copy quality. But the 
matter of the initial notice is something that must 
be provided for by the attractive feature of the dis- 
play — the catch line in the case of the all-type adver- 
tisement, and the illustration or decoration in the 
case of the advertisement treated by the artist. 

All the preliminary steps in making the advertise- 
ment are vital, and the designer who hopes to see his 
work successful must try very hard to get all of them 
right. So he must, if he considers it necessary, con- 
sult with the copy writer, or with the advertiser if the 
copy has been accepted and approved by him, or if 
the copy writer happens not to have the requisite 
authority to make the necessary changes. He will 
find many writers and advertisers who do not under- 
stand the importance of his part of the work. It is 
still an evil fashion to place copy in the hands of 
printers unspecified as to display, and accept what- 
ever it is the pleasure or convenience of the printers 
to turn out. Here is another of those pockets of 
inefficiency we are finding all along the way of the 
advertisement between the product and the medium. 
There are several lines of advertising which have as 
yet felt the influence of the advertising designer but 
very little — as financial, books, and some other pro- 
fessional lines. There has recently been a break as 
to financial advertisements, though it has made but 
a slight impression. In this line of business the 



I 



GETTING THE COPY READY 235 



impression seems to prevail that ugliness connotes 
conservatism. 

This brings us to the handling of the copy by the 
designer of the advertisement. Let us take a piece 
of copy and handle it as he must, in a simple manner. 

A concern has built a factory and perfected an 
organization to market a new kind of clock. We will 
take that as our motive, chiefly because there is no 
such concern, and may never be. The advertising 
campaign is to be made in New England, and will at 
first cover only Worcester County in Massachusetts. 
Not so promising a field for a new product as might 
be selected, as the people in that district are still 
filled with the old conservative New England spirit. 
But this makes a definite problem for the designer, 
who must make a study of the people as well as of the 
product. We are not very much interested in the 
character of the copy, so it may well be that there 
are many defects in it as used. Our job now is to 
take the copy that is offered and do the best possible 
with it as to plan and display. 
p We are interested in making the display appeal 
to the people who are to be asked to consider the 
new clock. As it is to be used in the local newspapers 
we must study them, and the character of the display 
used in them. Perhaps we will find that these news- 
papers have not yet been touched with the newer 
ideas about advertising display. One of them, it may 



286 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

be, still clings to the Gothic type, and uses it liberally 
in the heavier styles. Another has for years used 
De Vinne, Blanchard, and that class of letter, for its 
display, and has never got the idea of making design 
furnish emphasis in place of many display lines set 
in the larger sizes of type- The third paper in the 
principal city uses lighter type, but is not very in- 
fluential, so its display motive may be disregarded 
in making advertisements that must be used in all 
of the newspapers. The idea that different ad- 
vertisements be written and made for each paper 
will not be considered for the first series for the new 
clock, because the novel and new features of the 
clock are expected to appeal with about equal force 
to all classes of people who will be at all likely to 
consider it. 

In many cases it would be good policy to make 
these advertisements in a style that strongly con- 
trasted with the normal work of these papers, but in 
this case there are certain considerations that sug- 
gest a less radical course. The people of this region 
have, through long habit, become accustomed to the 
typographic style of these papers. They have un- 
consciously associated heavy display with those local 
concerns with which they have all their lives dealt, 
and the advertisements, bad as they might have been, 
have taken on some of the reputation that the stores 
have won through many years of square dealing. 



k 



GETTING THE COPY READY 237 



radical change, therefore, while not necessa- 
rily arousing distinct distrust, would not partake 
of this feeling of security and confidence that had for 
so long been associated with the standard style of 
display. There had come about, in the minds of 
the readers of these papers, a subconscious relation 
between the character of the display and honesty of 
purpose in business — a condition of mind that must 
not be ignored in the making of any new series of 
advertisements. The attractive peculiarity of an 
advertisement should not be sought by giving the 
reader a shock, but by giving him a slightly more 
agreeable sensation than is offered by the other 
advertisements associated with it in the field of 
vision of the reader. It is of the greatest importance 
that nothing in the display of these clock adver- 
tisements shall lead to even a faint suspicion that it 
is in any sense a doubtful proposition, or a radical 
one. While it is, as a matter of fact, an exceedingly 
radical departure from the standard clocks, it is not 
desirable to have prospective buyers so think of it; 
nor do we wish to have them think of it as in any 
sense an experiment — something about which the 
advertiser cherishes any doubt. 

We must not create an atmosphere of unusual- 
ness, as that would involve an assumption on the 
reader's part of an unusual attitude of mind, and 
probably a critical attitude. We wish to give the 



238 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

reader the idea that he is being offered a clock that 
is just a little better and more dependable, and 
less trouble making, than the clocks he always has 
had. We do not wish to have him get the idea that 
he is asked to discard something with which he has 
been brought up, and around which cluster many 
family traditions and intimate memories. There- 
fore, we must carefully refrain from shocking him with 
our initial advertising. It must insinuate itself 
into his mind without creating any sort of commo- 
tion there. It must modify his ideas about clocks 
gently. So we look about for a typographic style 
that may be expected to create a more pleasurable 
sensation than the average advertisements carried 
by these local papers. They have not, we notice, 
adopted many of the more recent type faces that 
give strength with grace, in contrast with the merely 
rugged strength of those older styles that we have 
found to be more common on the pages of these 
papers. The Century Expanded is one of those 
styles. It has been on the market a number of 
years, and has been lavishly used by most city news- 
papers, but as it has not been used here it will serve 
our purpose very well. 

This Century Expanded type, it is well for the ad- 
vertisement designer to know, so far as its distin- 
guishing contours are concerned, conforms withfidelity 
to the contours of the standard Modern Roman type. 



GETTING THE COPY READY 239 

It is given its strength and distinction mostly through 
expanding the face — making it "fatter" and rounder, 
thus giving it an individuality. In its original form 
it was not thus expanded. It was rather somewhat 
condensed. It was devised for the reading pages of 
the Century magazine and was used for that pur- 
pose several years before it came on the market 
through the type founders; and then it was quite 
radically changed in design. In its normal weight it 
is one of the best body types to be used on most 
finishes of paper now available. Its sizes above ten 
point are especially good for straight matter in 
advertisements, because of the severe simplicity of 
its design, its clarity, its almost perfect optical 
qualities, and its extreme distinctness. In its bold 
! design and its excellent italic it gives us the oppor- 
I tunity we need — to make our clock advertisement 
distinctive and distinguished on the pages of these 
New England newspapers without appearing to be 
I radical or arousing antagonistic impulses. 
I This matter of type settled we turn our attention 
I to the copy we have been given by the clock people. 
I It proves not to be very good copy. It has suffered 
' by too much attention from the men interested in 
I the new company. It has been revised by the oflS- 
j cials until there is not much life or interest in it. 
1 The advertising manager is like the advertising man- 
I agers of a great many companies. H^e does much 



240 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

work but little managing. He is managed, even 
with respect to those matters about which he has 
expert knowledge. We are obliged to take the copy 
provided, as is the case with about all advertising. 
It is rather stilted and uninteresting, but it may 
appeal to the New England people, who are pretty 
matter of fact. It has the merit of sobriety and 
restraint of statement, and of clearly indicating the 
character of the clock. It is not altogether bad for 
the first copy, to introduce a new thing in New 
England. But it is not an easy task to make a good 
advertisement of it, considering the smallness of 
the space we have and the number of words in the 
copy. 

The copy is on page 241. 

This needs much attention to get it into condition 
for the printer. It is to be used in local newspapers, 
and car-cards are to be made from it to go in all of 
the street cars that run through this territory. A 
two-column space, seven inches deep, is to be used 
in the newspapers. There will be booklets, fully 
describing the Solar clock, distributed to all houses in 
the territory, through the mail. There will be a man 
from the factory located in Worcester for two months, 
to help the local dealers, to look after the advertising, 
to interest the reporters and editors of the newspapers, 
and to install the clocks in as many public places as 
possible. He will try to put the clocks into every 



We have, after several years devoted 
to research and experiment, succeeded in 
producing a clock which keeps accurate 
time all the time, is simple in con- 
struction, inexpensive, decorative, and 
requires almost no attention. It is 
the invention of Mr. John Smith, who 
has been a clock-maker and a student of 
horology for many years. He iias always 
believed that there was some principle 
other than that in use which bould be 
applied to time-keeping which would 
solve about all of the problems that 
worry housekeepers. It is important 
that a clock keep accurate time, and 
most f them do not. This clock, that 
we call the Solar because it is as 
reliable as th9 sun, keeps accurate 
time. It cannot deviate. That is the 
greatest quality of this new clock. A 
handsome Solar clock can be had for $5, 
and as it will continue to give accurate 
time for 100 years or more, it will cost 
you not more than five cents a year to 
have the exact time always indicated on 
its face. Solar clocks are sold from $2 
to $100. The lowest priced Solar clock 
is guaranteed to keep accurate time for 
five years. By accurate time we mean 
time as accurate as the sun — absolutely 
accurate time. Is there any other clock 
that you can buy with a guaranty like 
this? Call at your jeweler's, your 
hardware store, your department store, 
or your optician's and see the Solar 
clock. 

The First Copy for the Advertisement. 



242 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

room in the best office building, and into all such 
places as the waiting-rooms at the railway stations, 
the trolley waiting-rooms, the church lobbies, all the 
street cars, in each room in the best hotel, etc. For 
the office building and the hotel the clocks will be 
made to harmonize with the wood finish. For the 
street cars they will be attached to a frame that will 
fit in the place made for the usual car-card, with some 
advertising printing along with them. 

There will be many other means employed to 
attract attention to the Solar clock, but our concern 
is with the newspaper advertising, which must be 
done as a part of the general campaign, and it is 
therefore necessary that the designer know all that 
is planned in the way of publicity. There is too 
much copy for the space, so the designer is obliged to 
select some portion of it to make into a panel which 
may be read or not. The remaining matter must 
constitute a complete advertisement. The result 
of his work is shown by the first layout draft he 
makes after having studied the copy. This may not 
be a final layout. The matter has to be studied in 
the layout. It may well be that a designer makes a 
dozen layouts before he is satisfied, and as many 
more before he satisfies the advertiser. But as the 
advertiser's criticisms are often unrelated to the real 
problem, or tending to detract from the layout of the 
designer, we will not attempt to deal with that 



GETTING THE COPY READY 24S 

ilement at this time, hoping that our design for this 
advertisement will slip by the advertiser and be 
authorized for publication. 

The first question to be decided is whether there 
is to be illustration or decorative feature. The use 
, of an illustration simplifies the rest of the work of 
j design, and is more likely to attract attention than 
J a simple catch line of type. It helps to take the 
reader along into the argument of the text, and, if it 
, is a good picture of an attractive article, it helps 
materially in bringing the reader to the buying point. 
j In this case we want to enlist the picture to help us 
I put over the radical motive of the advertising. We 
j do not like to have to assert in the text that the clock 
j is a revolutionary thing. We don't want the readers 
j to think that it is revolutionary, in specific terms. 
\ So we think that it may be possible to make an at- 
tractive illustration that will convey the exact nature 
of the clock in a way that will not shock conservatism 
nor arouse suspicion. It is desirable to have the 
reader get the impression that the clock is something 
that is necessary to complete the furnishing and 
decoration of the living-room, as well as something 
to tell the time of day. But we find, after experi- 
menting with several set-ups, that there is so much 
copy we cannot use our illustration. The officials 
refuse to cut the copy, and it is therefore nec- 
essary to omit the picture. 



244 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

It will be noted that the copy leaves something 
for the illustration to tell. It does not mention the 
calendar feature, nor does it say anything about using 
the clock as a part of the room finishing. It does 
not suggest that it may be used in all the rooms of 
all buildings. If it stated that, it might lead readers 
to imagine that it was a proposition for capitalists, 
builders, and architects, and thus detract from its 
interest to the ordinary reader. These matters were 
left for the illustration to suggest, and for the selling 
department to work out in other advertising mediums 
and with interests more directly interested. They 
will be taken up in the technical advertisements in 
architectural, building, and horological journals. 

Acting upon this theory, the designer rearranged 
the copy as shown by the following rough layout; the 
border being found desirable to outline the space and 
to tie the elements together, as well as to help make 
the advertisement distinctive. The border actually 
to be used will be drawn, to carry along the motive 
of the clock, but for the preliminary layout a lino- 
type border is used. See next page. 

The three succeeding pages show the evolution of 
the advertisement after the setting was begun. The 
reason for each change is evident. It was found that 
the linotype border did not produce the effect of clar- 
ity and simplicity of design the manager wanted; so 
plain rules were substituted. The other changes in 



AS RELIABLE AS THE SUN 



We have, after several years devoted to 
research and experiment, succeeded in producing a 
clock which keeps accurate time all the time, is 
simple in construction, inexpensive, decorative, 
and requires almost no attention. It is 



A Wonderful Invention 

It is the invention of Mr. John Smith, who 
has been a clock-maker and a student of horology 
for many years. He has always believed that there 
was a principle other than that in use which could 
be applied to time-keeping and would solve about 
all the problems that worry people in connection 
with clocks. It is important that a clock keep 
accurate time, and most of them do not. This 
clock, that we call the Solar because it is as 
reliable as the sun, keeps accurate time. It 
cannot deviate. 



A Handsome Solar Clock 

Can be had for $5; and it will continue to give 
accurate time for 100 years, or more. It will 
cost you not more than 5 cents a year to have the 
exact time, and the day of the week, month and 
year, always indicated on its face, where you can 
see it at a glance. Solar Clocks are sold for 
from $2 to $100, or more. 



All Solar Clocks are Guaranteed 

For five years to keep accurate time — as accurate 
as the sun itself. There is not another clock 
made of which this can be said, and backed with a 
guaranty like ours. See the Solar Clocks at 
jewelry, department, optical, hardware stores. 

THE SOLAR CLOCK COMPANY 
1411 Main Street 

Copy Revised and Arranged. 



r 



As Reliable as the Sun 

I We have, after several years devoted to x 

I research and experiment, succeeded in pro- I 

c ducing a clock which keeps ACCURATE 6 

I TIME all the time, is simple in construe- | 

I tion, inexpensive, decorative, and requires ▼ 

I almost no attention. It is 2 

i A Wonderful Invention I 

(^1 It is the invention of Mr. John Smith, who I 5 

I has been a clock-maker and a student of horol- I I 

I ogy for many years. He has always believed j p 

C i that there was a principle other than that in i C 

A I use which could be applied to time-keeping and " i 

I I would solve about all the problems that worry | I 

A I people in connection with clocks. It is impor- | " 

1"^ I tant that a clock keep accurate time, and most I ▲ 

I of them do not. This clock, that we call the | I 

1 Solar because it is as reliable as the sun, keeps | B 

i accurate time. It cannot deviate. I I 

I A Handsome Solar Clock | 

(Can be had for $5 ; and it will continue to give accu- A 

rate time for 100 years, or more. It will cost you p 

c not more than 5 cents a year to have the exact time, c 

(and the day of the week, month and year, always A 

indicated on its face, where you can see it at a p 

c glance. Solar Clocks are sold for from $2 to $100, c 

A or more. i 

I All Solar Clocks are Guaranteed | 

(For five years to keep accurate time — as accurate A 

as the sun itself. There is not another clock made I 

o of which this can be said, and backed with a guar- o 

A anty like ours. See the Solar Clocks at jewelry, i 

1 department, optical, hardware stores. I 

2 The Solar Clock Company Z 

I 1411 Main Street I 

The First Setting of the Advertisement. 



RELIABLE AS THE SUN 

We have, after several years devoted to 
research and experiment, succeeded in pro- 
ducing a clock which keeps ACCURATE 
TIME all the time, and is inexpensive. 



A Wonderful Invention 

IT is the invention of John H. Smith, who has 
been a clock-maker and a student of horol- 
ogy for many years. He has always believed 
that there was a principle other than that in 
use which could be applied to time-keeping and 
would solve about all the problems that worry 
people in connection with clocks. It is impor- 
tant that a clock keep accurate time, and most 
of them do not. This clock, that we call the 
Solar because it is as Reliable as the Sun, keeps 
accurate time all the time. It cannot deviate. 



A Handsome Solar Clock 

Can be had for $5 ; and it will continue to give accu- 
rate time for 100 years, or more. It will cost you 
not more than 5 cents a year to have the exact time, 
and the day of the week, month and year, always 
indicated on its face, where you can see it at a 
glance. Solar Clocks are sold for from $2 to $100. 

All Solar Clocks are Guaranteed 

For five years to keep accurate time — as accurate 
as the sun itself. There is not another clock made 
of which this can be said, and backed with a guar- 
anty like ours. See the Solar Clocks at your 
jewelry, department, optical, or hardware store. 

THE SOLAR CLOCK COMPANY 

1411 Main Street Worcester, Mass* 



The Second Setting of the Advertisement. 



Reliable as the Sun 

We have^ after several years devoted to 
research and experiment^ succeeded in pro- 
ducing a clock which keeps ACCURATE 
TIME all the time, and is inexpensive. 



A Wonderful Invention 

IT is the invention of John H. Smith, who has 
been a clock-maker and a student of horol- 
ogy for many years. He has always believed 
that there was a principle other than that in 
use which could be applied to time-keeping and 
would solve about all the problems that worry 
people in connection with clocks. It is impor- 
tant that a clock keep accurate time, and most 
of them do not. This clock, that we call the 
Solar because it is as Reliable as the Sun, keeps 
accurate time all the time. It cannot deviate* 



A Handsome Solar Clock 

Can be had for $5 ; and it will continue to give accu- 
rate time for 100 years, or more. It will cost you 
not more than 5 cents a year to have the exact time, 
and the day of the week, month and year, always 
indicated on its face, where you can see it at a 
glance. Solar Clocks are sold for from $2 to $100. 

Solar Clocks Guaranteed 

For five years to keep accurate time — as accurate 
as the sun itself. There is not another clock made 
of which this can be said, and backed with a guar- 
anty like ours. See the Solar Clocks at your 
jewelry, department, optical, or hardware store. 

The Solar Clock Company 

1141 Main Street, Worcester, Mass. 



J 



The Third Setting of the Advertisement. 








. ,>^:; : : lA^'W.-' vvv 



^^^^=SS 







ffr 






i^<^A,^'y%>^f^.^y' 










m^ : >$vv..v^..v --- 



I ^^^ 



cr^cfM' 






^ 



Layout for an adverLisemenL (Courtesy American Printer) 



GETTING THE COPY READY 249 

type were made to get the advertisement so simple 
and so harmonious as to make its reading quite with- 
out effort. It will be noted that the final proof shows 
an advertisement good to look at and easy to read. 

It must be all the time borne in mind that it is not 
the object of this book to show layouts up to the 
standards of the expert advertising designer's work. 
All we try to do is to illustrate methods of work. 
There is a very wide margin for possible improvement 
in these examples we are showing. We show fol- 
lowing this a layout made by a correspondent of the 
American Printer^ which indicates the cuts to be 
used, the grouping of the text, and leaves the precise 
character of the display to the printer. Probably 
there was some general agreement with the printing 
department of the newspaper in which the adver- 
tising was used in regard to types for display, or the 
designer preferred to chance the taste of the composi- 
tor rather than be at the trouble of selecting them 
himself. Presumably this was a four-column adver- 
tisement, and would therefore have been about 16 
inches long. It is to be noted that the text was 
numbered in the copy and its position in the adver- 
tisement indicated by corresponding figures on the 
layout. 

This layout is not specific enough for good work. 
If the designer wishes the best effects he must specify 
every unit that is to go in his advertisement. There 



THE GIFT STORE 

Answers to the alUimportant question, "What Shall I Give?*' 

I A lew saggntioos that may help you to choose things combining the USEFUL and the BEAUTIFUL I 



Furniture for Gifts 



l<ninaWare CHAtMIMCSTTU^DCCOtATHM 




Upi<o» 'J DOLL MAC* m RALP PKIce 

. lSr.n»h •>nht).««..«dO.Hta..»««.kK(,,o.c«j> 

CoMcA Oil Anxlt MahoOHr anj Fu<ncd Oak— CIQAA ' 

rMM40*k o.try iK>tn>i>r hM fo. Hr«,n 7&io9lo.UU Silver Ware ^JH^^I^^^J^* 
Fancy Dressers co^. -- " — - 

c 



■•VHH.«t.llllWl4i> SWtoo 



iin K. nwKk. Pr«c» fi«ht. 

. The Child's Paradise 

t (ANTA ClJkim m htn wnh , mm tnm oT 

' 1«n h ~«l.» U . p.r, .1 m I J. h-., o. A,rt 

>iu>»- ll><\ mtUI taKdi •KcW tfKanw< 

i-^-o. Tot. ikal ••• wo- '"-— 

IT Pmo-boA »«K 



Cutlery J^'^.ZTlA'^SUS: 

tKnn. E «it»o.aM T Scmn. Ek.. imW mn 



tf a (■/>. ^crXsytb 



W. F. EVANS 

BROWNSBURO, IND. 



*r«yj«<jj*>'«< 



The completed advertisement 



GETTING THE COPY READY 251 

evidently was an understanding between this de- 
I signer and the printer, but even so it is risky to trust 
to the taste or discretion of any printer who is likely 
to be found in the ad-room of any newspaper. The 
leading motive there is speed, and as little work as 
possible for each advertisement. The advertisement 
that goes into a newspaper composing room com- 
pletely specified is looked upon with great favor. K 
no discretion is asked of the compositors there is 
likely to be little changing or correction, and time is 
saved. 

If we were specifically trying to produce a hand- 
some advertisement, it would be proper to say that 
neither of these examples of layout work is admir- 
able. They leave much to be desired along other 
lines than the mechanics of the layout. The display 
of the Gift Store advertisement is far below what it 
might be if it were to be thought of as an agreeable 
picture. The illustrations do not compose into a 
whole that is in any sense what it should be. The 
original example we give is correct so far as it goes, 
but was purposely made uninteresting as to copy. 



CHAPTER XVII 



ASSEMBLING THE UNITS 



WHEN all is ready to put the advertisement 
together, place the cut or cuts, distribute 
the white space, arrange all of the units to 
the best advantage, and the advertisement has 
reached another of its several critical stages. 

A floret out of its proper place may reduce the 
efficiency of the advertisement as much as 50 per 
cent.; so far, that is, as the initial attraction of it is 
concerned. The wrong spacing between type and 
cuts is likely to make a difference against the adver- 
tiser in the amount of returns he may get. Too 
much white between the type and the border may 
destroy the punch of the advertisement; while a 
portrait, or any illustration symbolizing action, 
placed so that it looks away from the text argument, 
is likely to k d to almost fatal results. 

Two perso) s cannot shake hands if they stand ten 
feet apart. he units of an advertisement cannot 
each second 1 ^ influence of the others if they are not 
so assembled .s to promote the feeling of coopera- 
tion and mu al support on the part of the person 

252 



ASSEMBLING THE UNITS 253 

who may become a reader of the advertisement if he 
is not warned off of the premises by the discordant 
composition. Here is where the simple Httle saying 
by the great painter comes directly in touch — '' Trifles 
make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." When 
a person is determined to read a piece in the paper 
or magazine, any Httle things like wrong spacing, 
or any of the details we are considering, would not 
make much headway in persuading him to close the 
book. If the title of the article appealed to him, 
he would blissfully go on and read it, whether it was 
printed in the weak typography of the Century or 
the strong typography of the Atlantic Monthly. 
That is to say, if the light was good and he was not 
obliged to wear toric bifocals, ground for short sight, 
astigmatism, wrong focus, and general weakness and 
cussedness of the eyes. But, as is the case with all 
advertisements, if the reader had to be led to the 
refreshing drink of the copy, it would be somewhat 
different. Then it would be necessary to lure him by 
all of the arts of the expert wrangler with the per- 
verse elements of the printed thing. And these 
elements are perverse, as we all know only too well. 
' It is here that we are to take accov \t of this per- 
verseness. To this point we have rega ed type, cuts, 
and so forth, as so much piftty, whic ^can be made 
into any shape the designer wisher This is the 
great, the crowning, folly of the ovice. The 



254 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

printer who can make what he wishes to make by the 
use of the hard and fast units provided for him by the 
type founders is a man in a thousand; a man, in fact, 
who does not exist. The best possible piece of 
printing is a compromise in which the ambitions and 
aspirations of the printer are buried. This is mostly 
unavoidable. The consolation is that the reader does 
not recognize the defects. But it is not altogether 
unavoidable. The brave printer can force types and 
other material made of metal in rigid forms into some 
semblance of compliance with his will. That he 
does not do so to a greater extent, to the ever- 
lasting benefit of his profession, is one of the effects 
of heredity. 

Away back in the time of the early casters of type 
they were very precious. They were made by hand, 
one at a time, and the assembly of enough of them to 
set a few pages of a book was a labor lasting a long 
time, and costing much money. The letters must 
not be mutilated, and were not mutilated. They 
were then, and have since been, placed shoulder to 
shoulder, and whether they fitted properly, one 
against another, was a matter in the hands of the 
gods. If the big capital T, for example, used as a 
two-line initial, made a great white gap for the begin- 
ning of the second line, it was left there, like the 
coflBn of Mahomet, suspended in space, and the 
difficulty, instead of being remedied by cutting the 







Secretary Franklin K. Lane, at his desk in tht 
Depa rtment of the Interior 

THE free distribution ofa 
Government book about Yellow- 
stone Park, beautifully illustrated and au- 
thentic, is an important link in Secretary 
Lane's plan totreatour national playgrounds 
as national resources and so develop them. 

"The real awakening as to the value of these parks 
has at last been realized," says the Secretary in his 
last annual report — and then orders 300,000 copies 
of an ofificial publication which shall change the 
"awakening'* to a boom, inducing the maximum 
number of Americans to visit our greatest national 
wonderland — the Yellowstone. 

This railroad is co-operating with the Department 
of the Interior in the work of getting this book 
into the hands of readers — and so inspiring Ameri- 
cans "to the further discovery of America, and 
making them still prouder of its resources, esthetic 
as well as material.'* 

A copy of the government book on Yellowstone will be sent 
free to everyone who writes to the address below. 

UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM 

Popular and Direct Yellowstone Route 



I 

i 
I 



The use of a portrait of one of the more popular government officials, with illus- 
tration and text arranged in perfect form, makes an appealing advertisement. 



256 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

second line into the waste metal of the T, to close 
the gap and bring about something like coherence, 
was exaggerated by continuing the discordant white 
space under the initial, and thus isolating it yet more 
completely from the text of which it was supposed to 
be a part. It would have been sacrilege to have 
cut into the shank of the initial, in the minds of the 
early printers; and it is considered sacrilege by the 
modern printers to attempt to improve upon the 
economic makeshift policy of those ancients — even 
in these days of the monotype and linotype, when 
letters are no more sacred than are the sweepings of 
the o£Bce floor. 

Designers of advertising need to look upon the 
output of the type foundries as malleable material — 
units that are to be adapted for their purposes. It 
is the fault of much of the printing of the present 
day that it is adapted to certain supplies in hand, 
rather than to the exigencies of the occasion. It is 
a common experience of the designer of printing to 
be told that such and such type is not in the oflSce, 
that a certain ornament is not in stock, that a bor- 
der or a rule desired is not available. This em- 
barrassment is more acute now that we are under 
the dominance of the type-setting machines. A large 
proportion of the printed matter used by advertisers 
is not what the designers wished, because printers 
having the necessary material to produce it are not 



ASSEMBLING THE UNITS 257 

available, or it is not desired to fit, cut, and adapt the 
units that are in stock. There are many units made 
by the type founders that may be adapted for a 
specific use by cutting them, cutting out some part 
of their faces, or so changing them as to spoil them 
for other use. Printers dislike to do this, even if 
they are paid for the mutilated unit. Designers do 
not realize that it can be done. But it can, and 
should. A small stock cut costs from ten cents up, 
and if it can be changed to fit the need of the de- 
signer it may save paying an artist $5 for something 
that will not be as good. 

A principle always to be kept in mind is to so ar- 
range the units of the advertisement as to cause them 
to direct the eye and mind of the reader toward the 
text, and not away from it. The so-called "action" 
in a cut should move toward the text. It often does 
move away from it. This is the principle that ad- 
vises against placing the attractive element at the 
bottom of the advertisement. If an article is shown 
in an illustration, and the illustration is placed as the 
last unit of the advertisement, it draws the atten- 
tion of the eye before the text has been considered. 
Then if the reader is vitally interested he will turn 
back and look at the text. If he is not vitally inter- 
ested he will not do so, and his look at the picture 
will finish his examination of the advertisement, 
because it is placed at the place where his examina- 



258 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

tion naturally ceases, and the natural thing for him 
to do is to cast his eye upon the next ensuing object 
of optical interest. The illustration placed at the 
bottom of an advertisement is an invitation to the 
eye to pass on to other things and not bother to take a 
look at the text. Whereas if the illustration is 
placed near the beginning of the advertisement, 
whether or not the eye is interested in it as a picture 
or as leading to the text, the eye is bound to pass over 
the text in its subsequent progress, and there is 
always the chance that some of the display lines will 
halt it and accomplish that which the picture failed 
to do — stop it and interest it in the text. 

There is a certain progression in our normal 
notice of an advertisement — consciousness of the 
chief unit of attraction, picture or type feature — 
consciousness of the initial appeal of the text, dis- 
play line, catch line, or some form calculated to pass 
through the eye and knock at the door of the mind — 
consciousness of the argument of the text and the 
invitation to purchase. The idea of the advertise- 
ment must make its appeal to the mind in this order, 
and the units representing this order of attention 
interest must come to the attention of the eye in this 
order if they are to be accorded the consideration 
necessary to prompt buying desire. If the optical 
order is reversed the mind is pretty certain to short 
circuit its attention, and accept the implication that 




i^JlfWBfflWBSB^^^^ 




WHITE 

Gvstom'BuiU Gem 

THE beauty of the White touring body has 
been so marked during the past year that 
more than a score of makers are attempting to 
imitate some of its distinctive features ^ ^ the 
center cowl, for instance. 
But the charm of the White center cowl can not 
be divorced from its setting. It \s the effect of 
harmonious proportions and of graceful lines 
sweeping to and from it. To vary its width or 
height or curve is to lose the effect 
If the White contour were not copyrighted and 
could be paralleled in its entire design, the result 
would still be inappropriate without the high 
quality materials and costly hand labor which 
enter into White body construction. 

In specifying the upholstery and finish of White bodies each 
owner is a^ded an opportunity to express his individual taste. 




Thirty^ Touting Gir, ^2700 **Forty-Five** Touring Car, ^3800 
t o. b. Clevdand 

THE WHITE COMPANY 

CLEVELAND 




i 



A good piece of typography neutralized by wrongly placed cut and inharmonious 
border. Note the rearranged advertisement on opposite page. 



WHITE 

Ctiswm'BmU Gokf 

THE beauty of the White touring body has 
been so marked during the past year that 
more than a score of makers are attempting to 
imitate some of its distinctive features ^ ^ the 
center cowL for instance. 




Thif^ Touring Oir, ^2700 *'Fotty.Fivc** Touring Car, ^380^ 
C o. b. Qevcland 

But 3ie charm of the White center cowl can not 
be divorced from its setting. It is the effect of 
harmonious proportions and of graceful lines 
sweeping to and from it. To vary its width or 
height or curve \s to lose the effect. 
If the White contour were not copyrighted and 
could be paralleled in its entire design, the result 
would still be inappropriate without the high 
quality materials and costly hand labor which 
enter into White body construction. 

In specifying the upholstery and finish of White bodies each 
owner is afforded an opportunity to express his individual taste, 

THE WHITE COMPANY 

CLEVELAND 



In this rearranged advertisement there is nothing to draw the attention away 
from the car and the text, and the illustration is placed as it should be to contribute 
to the general attraction of the piece. 



ASSEMBLING THE UNITS 261 

the picture is placed last in the order for the pur- 
pose of side-tracking the appeal of the text. This 
matter of placing the illustration as the last optical 
unit of the advertisement is one of the serious errors 
fostered by too little knowledge of the psychology 
of the attention elements used. It must be re- 
sponsible for some substantial proportion of the in- 
efficiency of advertising. 

The companion of this error is of a like nature — 
placing an illustration so that its implication of 
action leads away from the text of the advertisement. 
This is not so frequently done, though it is not diffi- 
cult to find flagrant examples. Everything about 
an advertisement should focus in the selling argument 
f of the text. Decorations and illustrations are used 
for almost no other purpose. Everything pertain- 
ing to the advertisement is for the purpose of induc- 
ing the reader to take cognizance of the appeal of the 
copy. The picture of a fine Richard-Harding-Davis 
young man, wearing a new style collar, facing away 
from the text, gazing soulfuUy at the advertisement 
of toilet soap in the next column, or off over the mar- 
gin of the page into vacancy, is doing what it can to 
divert attention from the said collar, rather than 
persuade the reader to consider the assertions in the 
text. The best appeal of the portrait style of il- 
lustration is straight into the eyes of the reader, 
with a good-humored challenge for a more intimate 



262 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

acquaintance with the swagger collar about the neck 
that supports the face. This principle holds good for 
other illustrations. They are supposed to appeal 
to the reader. The only way to mutely appeal to 
one is to challenge his eyes. But if the illustration 
cannot make this personal appeal, it should be so 
placed as to lead the mind of the reader toward the 
text rather than away from it. The action of the 
illustration should be toward that which the adver- 
tiser wishes the reader to read. The alternative is 
the rejection altogether of the illustration. It is 
uneconomic to advertise a suggestion that the reader 
ignore the thing the space is purchased to induce him 
to read. 

The continuity of the appeal of an advertisement 
is secured in some degree by the skill of the designer 
in placing the units, making them play into each 
other in such fashion as will toll the reader from one 
to the next. A space that is too wide between re- 
lated paragraphs of the next may operate to hint to 
the reader that here is a good place to quit reading, 
and go on to other fields of interest. It is always to 
be understood that the interest of the readers in 
advertisements is an extremely tenuous interest. 
The bond that holds them to any advertisement is 
very easily broken. Not one in a hundred readers 
who are induced to go cursorily through an adver- 
tisement is interested suflSciently to cause him to 



ASSEMBLING THE UNITS 263 

make a determined effort to overcome optical diffi- 
culties put in his way. A great many readers are 
daunted by the profusion of display affected by many 
advertisers. They do not see the necessity of trying 
to take the hurdles of black type put in the way of 
their eyes. They balk when a plain sentence of 
information or argument is broken into two or three 
lines or features that do not seem to have a natural 
relation, and that pound the eyes as a hammer affects 
the fingers when they get under it as a blow is de- 
livered. "Ouch!'' exclaims the reader, as he hur- 
riedly turns the page to ease the optical distress. 
The force of the blow of the ill-considered display 
may be modified by the designer, and often made to 
serve its ideal purpose of enhanced attraction by 
skilful attention to the ensemble of the units, the 
spacing, etc. 

A major mistake made by some advertising makers 
is that they ignore the habits in reading the eye ac- 
quires in its constant work with straight reading 
matter. It is not there asked to jump and tumble 
about among the discordant units and combative 
display lines. When it comes to the consideration 
of the over-displayed advertisements the scientific 
investigator of advertising of the future will doubt- 
less condemn the over display as one of the elements 
that helped to make advertising inefficient. But if 
there is much display demanded of the designer it is 



264 HOW TO ADVERTISE 



1 



his job to so handle it as to make it as easy for the 
eye as possible, and turn it into the smallest possible 
detriment where it cannot be made a positive bene- 
fit. The series of shocks got by the eye in looking at 
a badly displayed advertisement do not conduce to' 
its value, but if those shocks can be made to con- 
tribute to a sustained sense of strength and exposition 
by the handling of the lines, spaces, and masses of 
white, that is a real triumph. 

No rules can be suggested for this part of the work 
of the designer. It is for him to bring to bear upon 
each design all that he knows about his business. If 
there lingers in his mind any doubt about how a 
composition should be arranged, let him take a proof 
of the border alone, or if there is no border make the 
space with a pencil; then take all of the units, cut 
out, and place them this way and that until he finds 
the right way. This is called '"rule of thumb,'' and 
is not to be endorsed. Designers should be so well 
versed that they would not be obliged to resort to it. 
But in advertising the day of sure-footed procedure 
has not yet dawned. It is mostly all "rule of 
thumb," even to the initial campaign. In this de- 
partment of the business we are not entitled to as- 
sume to be above or beyond those in the other major 
departments. We also have to assume, experiment, 
guess, infer, and plunge. We know a little and guess 
much. We do know something about the habits and 



ASSEMBLING THE UNITS ^65 

action of the mind in reading advertising, and we 
know how to apply the little knowledge we have, 
thanks to investigators outside the ranks of the adver- 
tising profession. The definite knowledge we have 
is such as benefits those who have the physical mak- 
ing of the advertisements. It makes some of their 
steps plainly apparent, and it suggests some of the 
others in such fashion as enables them to avoid fla- 
grant mistakes. 

If the studied designers of advertising had free 
hands they would be able to make compositions 
that would raise the standard of ejQSciency somewhat. 
They are raising it, despite the handicaps they labor 
under. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



IN CONCLUSION 



HAVING carried the embryonic advertisement 
along through its infancy and adolescence, 
we may take leave of it, on the desk of the 
man who pays for it, and who arrogates to himself the 
privilege of giving it its final form, or sending it to a 
premature grave. 

This is a disposition of their work that designers of 
advertising, and all the men who have anything to 
do with it, resent and deplore. It is very galling to 
pride, and very discouraging to merit, to feel that all 
the hard and earnest work put into the making of an 
advertisement may go for nought if the advertisement 
is not approved by the men in the front office. But 
the men in the front office do not scruple to kill the 
advertisements that come to them for approval. 
They have peculiar ideas, or lack of ideas. They 
usually have strong and decided likings. They 
know what they like, in the way of advertising, and 
they are not slow in expressing their preferences. 
They have the right. They kill much good adver- 
tising, and they pass much poor advertising. They 

266 



IN CONCLUSION 267 

have no standards. They act upon impulse, or upon 
the mistaken idea that what they like must be good 
advertising. They are not to be blamed. They do 
the best they can. 

It is up to the advertising designers to change the 
conditions prevailing in the front offices. When they 
arrive at that stage in their development at which 
they work with certainty and knowledge, and are 
able to justify what they do, they will be in a posi- 
tion to dominate their work. There is no doubt 
but much of the inefficiency in advertising is due to 
the interference in the front offices. And there is 
equally no doubt but if the designers of advertising 
were able to stand sturdily by their guns, and give 
chapter and verse to justify their work, there would 
be less interference on the part of the ultimate au- 
thority, and hence less inefficient advertising; which 
is a consummation devoutly to be wished. 

The logic of the situation is that the men who make 
the advertising, including these who make the cam- 
paign and write the copy, should become better 
grounded in the science of publicity. Especially in 
the art of making the advertisement, after the copy 
has been prepared. It would be useless to guess 
what proportion of the inefficiency of advertising is 
chargeable to unattractive physical advertisements. 
It is certainly a very large proportion — much larger 
than men in the business would be inclined to allow. 



268 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

if they had not gone very carefully into all of these 
matters we have been considering. 

There has not been a serious attempt to analyze the 
causes for the ineffective advertising. The man whose 
advertising proves to be a total failure may have some 
ideas about what happened, but he cannot definitely 
determine what it was that hit his plan. The adver- 
tising expert, so called, is compelled to guess, and in- 
fer from insufficient proof. The publisher of adver- 
tising mediums knows something, and there is much 
that he does not even venture to guess. It is popu- 
larly believed that advertising is a mystery, or that 
it is a gamble. It is both, as it is conducted, in large 
measure. It need not be either, as it should be con- 
ducted. There is nothing mysterious about it, except 
as ignorance is mystery. 

There are, in several directions, reaches of the 
science of advertising into the tempting subtleties of 
which we are not, in this book, privileged to go. 
These pastures, filled with ripe opportunity, are 
denied to us, but not to some other earnest attempt 
somewhat in the line of this to clear the way 
for common sense in one small field. There are 
advertising problems that are as yet only partially 
or unsatisfactorily solved reaching through the 
whole gamut of advertising activity — ^from the in- 
ception in the mind of the promoter leading to the 
establishment of an industry, through its several 



IN CONCLUSION 269 

initiative stages, to actual manufacture; the analysis 
of the product, of the field, of the possible buyers, 
of all the processes of manufacture, of the financing 
of the venture, of the capacities of the several men in 
control, of the selling policies, of the advertising 
policies; and so to the actual undertaking of the 
creation of the advertising and the decision as to the 
many crucial points in that connection. Then the 
practical problems connected with the making of 
the advertisements come to the front, and have 
to be met in the light of all that has gone before, 
and have to bear the onus of all that has gone 
before. 

For it is one of the handicaps of the advertising 
designer that the eflBciency of his work is constantly 
and consequentially modified by that which has gone 
before him and that which is to come after him, and 
over which he may have little or no control. It is 
one condition affecting every detail in advertising 
work that every detail affects every other detail. A 
good business policy is necessary, but the best pos- 
sible business policy may be neutralized to almost 
failure by a bad advertising policy; and the best 
possible advertising policy cannot make adequate 
headway against a poor general business policy. 
And like as it is in these major fundamentals so it 
is with the several details that go to the making of 
the advertising campaign and practice. A perfectly 



^70 IN CONCLUSION 

good general advertising policy is futile if it is not 
supported by the best possible execution of all the 
separate steps in the details of execution. 

Good physical advertisements are relatively use- 
less unless they are expressive of good copy; and good 
copy is futile unless it is descriptive of good goods; 
and good goods will not make a successful business 
unless the producing policy is economically and 
scientifically right. Also good physical advertise- 
ments are relatively futile unless they are enforced 
by good selling plans, and may easily fail if they are 
not placed in good mediums and eJBSciently backed up 
by good follow-up methods. It is a circle of business 
practice and motives, and if each small sector is not 
drawn to the same curve, and with the same freedom 
and strength, there is not the necessary union and 
coordination, and there are breaks that mean loss 
of business. The circle may be a vicious circle, 
and each sector lead to another that is bad, 
thus accumulating the bad impulse and quench- 
ing the good intent and work of any particular seg- 
ment. 

Advertising is the keystone in many lines of busi- 
ness, and in many individual businesses. It is not a 
solid stone, but a composite stone. It may well be 
likened to a manufactured cement block: there are 
in it many elements that have a certain affinity for 
each other but which will not unite into the lasting. 



I 



Pncc $1090 Detroit 




YOU CAN ALMOST TAI^K, TO HER 
-THIS 3400 r p. m, CHALM^b 

They're bufing motor can today as they're ntruig 

Blue eyes, brown hair, s rug)(ed jaw mean somethmK 
—but not so much as they used to. 

They're seeking ability And that is not alway» 
measured in stature, weight add reach. 

Likewise in a car. They look he* orer, leam her wheel- 
Base, nbte the tire sizes, ask the bore and stroke of the 
engine and then — 

They make her perform. 

They make her hit the trail, they roll her up the sttffesi 
tali. "They Jet" her out on the straightaway, and they mate 
her accelerate at slow spec'ds. 

It's the only way to judge • car. And we're panic- 
ulariy glad, be<»use we have in the 34b0 r.p.m. Cbalmeis 
a car that answers every human 'vrish. 

You can almost talk to this anmiat. You can lead her 
•nywbere. We know of no one who has ever called on her 
for too much, nor asked of her anything she couldn't dtliver 

She's like a young ballplayer wb« keeps driving "em 
vrr the right-geld fence. 

She's there. And the reason is her magui£cent 8400 
r. p. m. engine. When history in oarbu^ess is written, 
8400 r. p. 00. will occupy a thick chapter. 

Simply because at the lowest speeds she save* her 
energy, turns up otiiy 500 r. p. m. at 10 miles an hour, 
and 1000 r. p. hl at 20 miles an hour. 

Thus using only 18 per cent ot ber power at sucft 
•peeds and saving 62 to 80 per cent for winding, hilly 
roads, bad turns, and on occasions when a little extra 
power gives you possession of the road. 

One ride of five milesibehmd the wheel and you'll own it. 

Ask your dealer about Chalmers aervice inspection 
coupons, negotiable at all Cbai'men dealers everywhere. 
This system is • most important toosideratioa ia buying 

Five-Pawengw Touring Car, $1090 Detroit 
Tin>-FuKiiger~Roul«ter, 91070 DeOoH 
Ikrca-PaaKOgcr Cabnolet, IIMO Detroit 

Color of Tparing Car ud Roaibter— Oriford aarooii or Metwt 
WoeL Cabriolet — Oriford maroon, Valeotioe gmea, or Meteor blue. 
VV'heeb— ctaDd&rd d&rlc, primrMe jeilow or nd. Win vtual* 
aptiraal on Bead«tcr or Cabnolet At ezttm-CMt 

I G€«T»e Stowe, Uanairer 

Chalmers Motor Con'.panj oi New York, Inc 

Broadway at 60th Street. New York. 

Bedford Avenue and Fulton Street, Broo'dyn, N. « 

2.627 Boulevard. Jeney City. N.' J. 

289 Fairfield Avenue. Bridgeport, Cona. 



One of a notable series of newspaper advertisements, displayed to be read without 
optical pain or irritation. Faulty in one or two points, but generally good enough 
to be heartily endorsed as a long step in the right direction. 



372 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

workable, serviceable whole except through exactly 
balancing their elements and exact expert manipula- 
tion. 

This simile may also be interpreted to type the 
attitude of many business men, both within and 
without the advertising business, toward advertising 
as a business force. They also think of it as being 
the keystone of their business, but they conceive 
of it as being fashioned from some ledge of solid 
natural rock, placed there for their use and profit 
through some miraculous dispensation of that provi- 
dence that watches over men's efforts when they do 
not elect to watch over them themselves. It is 
probably one of the greatest of the several great curses 
that operate to limit the efficiency of advertising that 
men continue to look upon it as a miracle in business, 
the direct benefits from which are to be won by some 
species of incantation rather than through definite 
though laborious methods. 

Some of us, who take frequent occasion to laud 
advertising, seem to be content serenely to accept 
the life work of a scientist who shows us how the 
earthworms change the surface of the earth at some 
rate comparable, perhaps, to a quarter inch in a 
century, while neglecting to allow a month or a 
year for the solution of problems that may mean 
sound success as against mere existence for our busi- 
ness. 



I 



IN CONCLUSION 273 

The perfecting of the physical advertisement is, 
therefore, one of the items in its creation and develop- 
ment that tend toward its success as a business getter 
or its failure. The work of the advertising designer 
has but one purpose — to induce people to stop and 
look. That is all. If the look thus cajoled out of 
the reader is profitable to the advertiser depends upon 
some things that are out of the sphere of influence of 
the designer — things that have happened before his 
brief hour of work, or that happen after he has done 
his work. His is the office of touching the hurrying 
reader, metaphorically, upon the arm, and asking him 
to glance at the picture he has made. If he makes the 
reader stop and look that is all he can do. What the 
look leads the reader to do depends upon the char- 
acter of what the picture the designer has made has 
directly behind it for the attention of the reader; 
and that again depends upon another element one 
step beyond the copy; and so the progression of 
inducing motives leads on and on toward the hoped- 
for ultimate purchase. 

While there are many influences that may defeat 
the effort of the designer of the advertising, 
it must not be admitted that they should be taken 
account of by him as excuses for slacking his own 
efforts; it is not for him to recognize that anything 
stands between his work and the ultimate success of 
the advertisement. His responsibility is for the 



274 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

physical appearance of the advertisement; and this 
responsibility is greater than he is likely to believe 
or admit, for this reason, among others : All elements 
of the advertisement except the impulse to look at it 
are subject to analysis and reason. When a person 
comes to the reading of the advertisement he makes 
all necessary allowances. He is not insistent upon 
perfect grammatical form, because, possibly, he is 
not a stickler for purity of language in speech or 
writing. He is willing to allow for exaggeration, 
because he knows that he uses hyperbole and gar- 
nishment in his speech, and that the absence of that 
element would make the text of the advertisement 
gray and unreadable. He does not expect that the 
implications in the copy will be exactly verified when 
he comes to examine the goods. He is not only 
ready to make due allowances, but if he was not 
required to make them he would recognize that the 
advertising was not real, and therefore not to be 
depended upon. 

But the impulse that makes a person look at an 
advertisement is not the residuum of a series of com- 
promises. It is a purely spontaneous impulse in 
answer to an appeal that must be utterly devoid of all 
necessity for any kind of adjustment. Reason nor 
memory nor design have anything to do with it. 
The appeal is to the subconscious appreciation for 
beauty that has been bred in us through all the 



STYLE 



1 




The Pierce Arrow body surrounds and conceals the 
vitals of the PiercC'Arrow Car — the engine, trans' 
mission, clutch and all that comparatively ugly but 
necessary machinery that makes the car the efficient 
medium that it is. 

By the sound progress of art resting securely upon 
utility, all the great things of the world have been 
produced. In this spirit the creation of every part — 
always creation, never imitation — finding the car's own 
reason for development within itself — has produced 
the Pierce' Arrow Car — a machine of such great utility 
to its owners, and of such aesthetic beauty in itself, 
that it is the leader of the automonde, the creator of 
motor fashions, the ideal and the model for the visual 
expression of the motor car of today. 

THE PIERCE' ARROW MOTOR CAR CO ' BUFFALO N Y 

PIERCE 
ARROW 



Here we have an attempt to pitch the name and the quality of this car at readers 
even if they will not pause long enough to read the few sentences of text — and a very 
successful attempt. 



276 HOW TO ADVERTISE jJ 

generations of men since the first symbol of written 
or recorded speech sought to express that love of 
beauty that was struggling in the crude mind of 
humanity. "Ah/" says the reader of the morning 
paper to his mind, as his eye lights upon a well- 
designed advertisement, "this is attractive. Let us 
see what it is about." Then, if the advertisement 
does this, the work of the designer is justified. The 
copy comes to the front. , 

The work of the designer is, in its essentials, more 
diflficult than the work of any other person con- 
nected with the production of advertising, because 
he has nothing to go upon except his own abilities. 
The man who maps out the campaign has all kinds 
of helps. The man who writes the copy has the 
goods to inspire him, and the character and purposes 
of the advertiser, and he is guided and sustained by 
all of the rules of the grammar as well as by all his 
own education and experience. The man who se- 
lects the mediums and makes the rate adjustments 
has precedent in volumes before him, and the expe- 
riences of as many men as he cares to consult at his 
command. But the man who designs the advertise- 
ment, if he does good and original work, is obliged to 
rely upon himself, and draw upon such body of 
culture and knowledge as he fortunately may possess. 
It will not do for him to copy the good work of an- 
other, because by so doing he eliminates the most 



IN CONCLUSION 277 

vital influence he can possibly put in his work, his 
individuality and the peculiar motive of the sale he 
wishes to promote. 

Thus it appears that if we are willing to go to the 
bottom of this matter of the efficient display of 
advertising we have to come to the belief that the 
advertising designer must be a person mth a just 
appreciation of the delicate nature of his task and a 
large and well-ordered stock of specialized knowledge. 
It is essential that he be a student of psychology, 
human nature, art, and as many other branches of 
knowledge that intimately concern people in their 
perceptions and sympathies as possible. Above 
all, he should be a man among men; in close and 
constant touch with people who are of the great 
average that buys the advertised products. The 
person who has cleverness, is familiar with the rudi- 
ments of art, and can sketch an advertisement that 
pleases himself, is delusive as an advertising designer 
unless he adds much to those qualities. He must 
realize that it is not his job to impose his ideas upon 
readers of advertising, but to try and adjust the 
physical motives of his advertising designs to the 
minds of the average people who are likely to be in 
position as makes it possible for them to see those 
advertisements — if he makes them appeaKng to their 
eyes. 

There are no rules for qualifying a person for this 



278 HOW TO ADVERTISE 

work beyond those few and simple rules mentioned 
in the preceding chapters ; and it is manifest that they, 
in themselves, are not suflBcient. In the last analysis, 
in this as in all lines of work that involve the influenc- 
ing of people who are not conscious that they need 
influencing, it is the peculiar quality of the person 
undertaking the work that fixes the degree of its 
success. 

It is evident that there is in this work of making 
advertisements a suggestion of a profitable career 
for such as will qualify for it. There is not now much 
in the way of ordered knowledge being applied to the 
work. If one were to attempt to define the office 
of the designer of advertising he would have to try 
and tell what it ought to be rather than what it is. 
It is in a chaotic condition. Looking through peri- 
odicals carrying much advertising it seems that ad- 
vertising design consists in making something that 
may attract attention by its unlikeness to any 
established principles of attractiveness. The ma- 
jority of advertisements seem to be designed in the 
expectation of shocking the eyes of the readers, and 
thereby getting attention to the texts. Attention 
may be had by hitting a man with a club, but not 
the kind of attention that is likely to lead to future 
profitable relations between the man hit and the 
hitter. There is a great field for this work of de- 
signing advertisements. To get into it profitably 



Jha Wooue of(W? v^ommunity Hlate 




DINING ROOM »/ MRS. O. H. P. BELMONT 

Atn. Btlaunt, uk, it m pnmintnl im Suffrait ai ike is in Sidttr, 
St iki nutkir ,f CntluU, Duihtlt <f Marlhnutk. H.r Jh,i„t 
mm it /amiikeJ uiti ike Palridtn Jitif in Ommunit, Pluie. 



A FEW DISTINGUISHED PATRON"! 

« */ir> Mf*- J"n= B- H^ciim, Sew Vork. 

Mra. aircr Hamman. New Vort, 
BarWKS Hu>rd. Pans. 
Mk. F. C Havei 



./COMMUNITY PLATE 




One of a remarkable series of advertisements, showing the dining-rooms of society 
leaders, very carefully made and correctly composed. 



IN CONCLUSION 279 

requires two major qualifications: To be able 
properly to design advertisements, and to be able 
to convince advertisers that it is worth their while 
to have their advertising properly designed. The 
first step is to qualify for the work. 



THE END 




THE COUNTRY LIFE PKESS 
GARDEN CITY, N, Y. 



3li77-l 






LIBRARY 



CONGRESS 




iiiiiipi 




